Uchiha's Bane
by Grisu
Summary: Contrary to popular believes, in the end it was not Uchiha Sasuke who killed his family's murderer. Now he just has to accept, that the world is not simply made up of black and white... Life after war in the newly reanimated Uchiha household [SasuSaku]
1. Afterboom

Chapter 01

**Afterboom

* * *

**

_I don't remember last night but they took my picture_  
_There was a car in the ocean off of Suicide Bridge_  
_The heart collector had his hands on me_

_At the edge of the world looking up_

_Running through a thousand lives_  
_Hoping there's one on the other side_

_At the edge of the world looking up_

_I don't know when I came to and remembered your fingers_  
_I went back to the house but itwas a vacant lot_  
_This matchbook you wrote on is all I've got_

_I'm not falling going down_  
_Dreaming and singing without a sound_

_At the edge of the world looking up_  
_At the edge of the world looking up_  
_At the edge of the world looking up

* * *

_

Nearly twenty years he had now lived and still he couldn't remember ever having to endure such a massive headache. And what on earth was making all that noise. Damn, the good thing about Oto had always been the quiet - funny really, how a village by the name of Sound could actually be filled with such complete and utter silence. Or maybe he'd just gotten too good at blocking it all out…

But he had just woken up and his head was throbbing and there were so many different sounds in so many different pitches and frequencies that it was nigh on impossible to block any of it. There were beeping sounds, high pitched, shrill even, and very close to his head, coming from the left - from where he could also feel sunlight warming his body. So he wasn't in his dark, little chamber in Orochimaro's lair. Somehow, that thought comforted him in his rather weakened state, although the dark would have been preferable for his headache. But as long as he kept his eyes closed it was manageable…

And then there were birds - kami, he hadn't heard the chirping of birds in a long time. There weren't many animals in Oto, mostly snakes and summons, but no birds. Or if there were, they were probably mute…

From his right he could hear various muffled sounds - voices, footsteps, the clapping of doors and the squeaking of rubber wheels on tiled floors. But his brain was still fuzzy from sleep and pain and something else he couldn't quite pinpoint, so they all muddled together to a low toned buzz that vibrated through his mind and painted pictures of crowded marketplaces and playgrounds filled with children and hallways rife with students; projected in a kaleidoscope of colours – green pink blue silver gold red yellow - that had been missing from his live for so long and that were still paler than they should have been.

And then there was the loudest of all, a peculiar sawing sound that could have been snoring, if it weren't for the weird pattern it was following and the low murmur (that _could_ have come from a human mouth) interrupting it at almost frequent intervals. He tried for a while to find actual words in the murmur, trying to make sure he was alone before he would give any indication of his consciousness. There it was, a little louder than before, a distinct word, two syllables, spoken clear as day.

Damn, why did it have to be the dobe? He'd prefer Kakashi, hell, even Sakura_ - at least those two didn't dream of ramen… _

Slowly opening his eyes, Uchiha Sasuke tried to adjust them to the sunlight streaming through the large windows on his left. It took a while - he must have been unconscious for quite some time - before he could make out sterile white walls and appliances, interrupted only by the large orange blob slumming in a chair next to his bed. The reason for the odd snoring the dobe was emitting became clear, when he discovered a large band aid, fixated across his nose. It was probably broken. And the freak wasn't only snoring, he was drooling, too. He turned away, disgusted.

So he was in Konoha hospital… again.

_Couldn't they just leave him be, until he came back on his own?_ He hadn't even finished the thought, before his memory came back to live and informed him that it was indeed he, who'd come to Konoha, not the other way around. The memories were blurry and at times big parts seemed to be eluding him, but he _did_ remember coming to the Hidden Leaf, after spying on two lower ranked Akatsuki, who were discussing plans for an all out attack to catch the Kyubi. He'd hoped to find his brother among the attackers and hadn't been disappointed. But before he could even make his presence known to that bakemono, he'd been ambushed by Orochimaru himself, with his little lapdog Kabuto crouching at his feet. Apparently the snake's trust in his new vessel had expired some time ago, without said vessel noticing, and he'd seen his chance to finally possess the Sharingan slipping away with the siblings impending confrontation.

There was a gap in his recollection, but he could remember fighting the snake (he'd always refused to call him sensei, because deep down in his mind that title was reserved for the silver-haired copy-nin, and only for him - not that he'd ever admit that to the pervert…). And then the snake was lying on the ground, mangled and deformed, and the memory nearly made him retch. He couldn't remember actually killing the sannin or why the body had been barely recognizable in the end or what had happened to Kabuto, but it mattered little. The snake was dead and gone, period.

_So much for Immortality…_

After that fight was over, he'd gone to find Itachi, only to have the ground rush up to meet him and then the world had turned black. And now he was here and Konoha had miraculously survived the attack and even the dobe had gotten away with minor injuries, seemingly.

_Without your help_, it rang through his mind and he couldn't help but feel a little gloomy.

_How_? The question nagged at him. They couldn't have beaten the Akatsuki and, more importantly, his brother, could they? _No_, he decided, even Kakashi, who was one of Konoha's strongest fighters (again, not something he'd ever tell the pervert) and also possessed the Sharingan, was no match for his brother. _Been there, done that._

So how did they all come out of this unscathed? Or, well, largely unscathed anyway. He had no knowledge of any casualties yet, so it was hard to tell for sure. But Konoha was still standing and from his window he couldn't make out any major damages on the buildings nearby…

Preoccupied with the questions running around in his head, he started unconsciously plucking at the bandage adorning his left arm, resulting in a sharp pain. He looked down to discover a catheter, which he'd nearly pulled of, connected to a blood bag. So they'd most likely pumped him up with painkillers, too. No wonder everything was fuzzy.

He decided he had time to figure everything out, after all, Oto and the snake, dead as he was, were no longer useful for his revenge, so there was no reason for him to leave right away. Besides, there were most likely ANBU stationed to guard him and he was in no condition for such a fight. Once he'd found out what had happened to Itachi and recovered a little he'd make a break for it, before they put him on trial. After that he wasn't sure what the best course of action would be…

A loud, almost painful sounding snore interrupted his train of thought and he looked back to the dobe, finding him still in blissful slumber. _Enough was enough_ - he grabbed a pillow from under him and whacked Sleeping Ugly over the head as hard as possible from this awkward angle. It worked - Naruto came awake, blinking and disoriented.

"Wha?"

"You snore, dobe," he told him tonelessly.

"I do? …Huh."

Sasuke just glared at him. There was a reason no one wanted to share a tent with the dobe on missions and the idiot still hadn't figured it out?

The dobe blinked again and suddenly jumped up, pointing at him, finally having realized that waking up next to an ex-team mate he'd been chasing for years was not a normal occasion.

"You're awake, teme!"

_No shit, Sherlock!_

"Finally! You've been asleep for days!"

_Did everything coming out of the dobe's mouth have to be a scream? _

"How many days?" _And couldn't he at least be a little more specific?_

"Uh, three, I think. I got knocked out for a while, too."

"Hn." Three days, damn, the snake must have hurt him worse then he'd thought. He could feel several bandages on his chest, arms and legs, but he wasn't in much pain, most likely due to the analgesics they'd slipped him, so he had no real indication how bad it actually was. Except for that damn headache - _why wouldn't that go away?_

"For a while there, you had Tsunade-baa-chan pretty worried, but she wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

"Hn." _She probably knew you wouldn't understand it anyway._

"Yeah, and Sakura-chan, too. She's been pretty stressed since the attack, what with all that's been happening…" Naruto trailed off and stuffed his hands into his pockets, for once at a loss for words. He had no idea, how much he was allowed to tell the teme and could only hope that that damn pervert would get here before Sasuke started asking questions about Itachi. He looked to the door, expectantly. _Please, open up, please…_

Ah, who was he kidding, Kakashi would never get here in time; he'd have to manage this one alone. But how could he explain something he didn't even understand himself? Maybe he could get Sakura; after all, she was the one with all the answers, especially in this case. But he hadn't been kidding, when he'd called her stressed – just this morning she'd screamed at him for distracting her and he'd only wanted to bring her some breakfast to her office, by order of the Hokage no less. Come to think of it, it had looked as if she'd slept in there, too. But Sasuke's voice called him back to the present, before he could ponder on this.

"What happened?" Again, tonelessly. Sasuke had noticed the badly concealed, hopeful looks Naruto was throwing in the doors direction - _who wouldn't, the dobe probably couldn't even spell the word 'stealth' _– and knew that he had an easy target for his questions. Still, he didn't need the dobe to know, just how interested he really was.

But Naruto already had a pretty good idea how many questions were really on the teme's mind, after all, there was no doubt that Itachi's presence had brought him here in the first place and then he'd fallen unconscious before he even met his brother. And the Kyubi vessel knew the Uchiha good enough to look beyond the tough act and realized that the other man had to be bursting with questions. Now, if only he had all the answers…

"Uh, you see, the Akatsuki attacked," …_to catch me_, he finished in his mind, unable to actually say it out loud. They'd attacked Konoha to get to him and he felt guilty. His friends, his teacher and even innocent citizens had been injured because of _him_ and he had a hard time dealing with the amount of guilt cursing through his body, no matter how often they assured him that it wasn't his fault.

"I know that, already!" Sasuke snapped, slowly getting angry. "Why didn't they finish what they started?"

"Well, I think, when they saw how _it _happened, they decided to 'retreat and regroup'; at least that's what Tsunade-baa-chan called it. If you ask me, they were running for their lives." Naruto grinned to counter the patented Uchiha-glare directed at him, which he (correctly) interpreted as Sasuke's not so polite demand to elaborate.

"I don't know how to tell you this, teme," Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "but, you see, uh, something happened that pretty much crushed their plans, so they made a run for it."

"_What_ something?" _Fuck, this was getting nowhere, maybe he should have waited for Kakashi instead._ And what the hell was wrong with the dobe, the guy could usually talk for hours and _now_ that he actually wanted him to, he was getting tongue-tied?

"Okay, I'll better just say it; I doubt there's any good way to let you know, anyway." The Kyubi boy took a last deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He knew Sasuke's reaction wouldn't be pretty. "The man who killed your parents is dead! There, I said it!"

Now, there was a sight rarely seen, _the_ Uchiha Sasuke was surprised and, although his expression quickly turned to one of anger, it didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, who, sadly, didn't have time to ravel in it.

"How dare you take away my revenge?! He was mine to kill!" Although spoken in a low, controlled voice, the Uchiha's words were filled with malice and promises of a slow and painful death.

_Yup, not pretty at all._ But after years of braving the wrath of a PMS ridden Sakura, Naruto had become quite jaded where danger was concerned and took the anger and accusations radiating from his ex-team mate with ease. Seriously, an angry Sasuke had _nothing_ on an angry Sakura…

"Wasn't me, teme." He replied rather casually, causing indignation to rise in the Avenger, who grabbed the Kyubi vessel by one of his lapels with his right hand and pulled him down, bringing them face to face.

"Who?"

"You'll have to thank Sakura-chan for that one. She saved our collective asses."

Stunned into (complete) silence, the Uchiha let go of his companion and stared at him, searching his eyes for deceit. However, there was none to be found, which he should've expected, as he'd already found out long ago that the Kyubi boy was much too innocent to be capable of lying in a grand scheme. And he could see no rational reason to lie about this.

But Sakura? That weak, little _girl_ had done, what he'd been trying for _twelve_ _years_ to accomplish?

"How?" For probably the first time since the demise of his clan, the Sharingan wielder felt shocked. How, damn it, how could she manage to actually kill his brother? To do, what he himself had had so much trouble to achieve?

"Good question, teme! I have no idea…" Naruto let out a breath and slumped down in his chair again. Now came the _really_ tricky part, as he had been asking himself (and Sakura) the same question for three days (whenever he'd been conscious, anyway…) and he still couldn't puzzle it out…

* * *

**A/N: So, here it is, my first chapter of my first Naruto fic. Hope you liked it, and if you did (and especially if you didn't like it), please leave a review. I'm always open for constructive criticism and a bit encouragement has never hurt, either. **

**A few explanations to this chapter:**

**1. The Lyrics at the beginning are fragments of the song "Edge of the world" by Sam Phillips (some of you might know her from her involvement in the TV-show 'Gilmore Girls') from her album 'Fan Dance'.  
2. If Sasuke appears to be OOC at the beginning of this chapter, what with the rambling thoughts and the pictures in his head and the looong sentences - this is deliberate! After all, the guy is just waking up and also on heavy pain killers, which are slowly fading off, so everything is blurry. And above all else he's got a headache the size of Hokage Mountain, which is kind of my way of payback for the idiot. (I see it as a karma thing, you know, every bad/wrong thing you do, somehow comes back to bite you in the ass! I think he deserves it, he probably gave a lot of people a lot of headaches over the years... So, yeah, it's staying around for a while.) With all these things added together it's practically impossible for him to put up all those walls he's so fond of building around himself. And besides, just because the guy doesn't say anything, doesn't mean, he's not thinking anything...  
3. Italics are the character's thoughts (except for several single words, where it's just for emphasis), I hope I made it everywhere clear enough, who's thinking at the moment. And in Sasuke's case it also works as a kind of dictionary, you know 'Uchiha - English/English - Uchiha'...**

**So, that's all for now. I hope to have the second chapter up in a few days. Ja ne**


	2. The Winchester Tapes

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 02

The Winchester Tapes

* * *

Minutes passed in silence, maybe even hours, Naruto couldn't tell as he waited for Sasuke's reaction. He knew, the Uchiha would demand answers eventually, whether Naruto had them or not; so it was just as well that he had some time to prepare himself and let the battle play itself over in his mind again, just so he wouldn't forget to mention anything. 

Sasuke on the other hand didn't notice the time running by, since he was still lost in memories of all the atrocious and unspeakable things he'd committed to over the last eight years for this one goal, only to be denied the satisfaction of spilling _that man's _blood in the end. To have it all been in vain now, and to have that satisfaction taken away by Sakura of all people, who had always been weaker than him, whose dream had been to become a medic-nin, not a killer (_yes, he'd been listening …well_ _sometimes_). She didn't know the people Itachi had killed - to her they were just memories, a part of the past, she'd never met them, never even seen them. But he had, he had seen them drowning in their own blood, had seen the fear and despair in their dead eyes. And he had loved them…

Pictures of his parent's faces - smiling at him over a birthday cake, pride glistening in his father's eyes as his youngest mastered his first Katon, his mother's eyes full of light and joy as she explained the names of the flowers in her garden – swirled in front of his mind's eye, pushing Naruto's helpless and rather unsatisfying reply to the outskirts, where it went unregistered for a while. However as the question of _how_ she did it came back to him, so did Naruto's presence and he finally noticed that the blonde hadn't elaborated yet. And from the look on his face, he wasn't going to without further prodding. _Idiot, he'd been there, so what was so hard to explain about it?_

"Dobe, you saw what she did, so how can you not know!"

He still had that curious way of asking for answers without actually posing a question, but rather by making a statement, Naruto realized.

"Having seen it, doesn't make it any easier to understand, teme." He took a deep breath and began to describe the events of that fateful day for his friend, while the memories replayed themselves like a movie in his head.

_He is arguing with Baa-chan when the first explosion rocks through the tranquillity of what had been promising to become a beautiful winter day. From the window they can see the smoke rising over the shopping district and four black clad figures standing on the surrounding rooftops, watching the citizens scatter and run for their lives in confusion and panic._

"_Akatsuki" exclaims Baa-chan, just as he recognises the cloaked attacker on the roof of that closing store Sakura-chan had dragged him to last week. "Itachi!"_

_They turn in unison as the great oak doors fly open, revealing Sakura and Shizune, looking dishevelled from their sprint up the stairs. For a moment time seems to be slowing down as they stare at each other. 'They're here for you' it rings in his mind and he can see the same thought reflected in Sakura's eyes, she nods in unison with him, decision made, there was no turning back._

_And then time seems to speed up again, running faster now then ever before - how many were dead already, how many others out there injured unable to help themselves? The Hokage is shouting orders now ("Tell the genin teams to evacuate the villagers and have them brought to the hospital. Send four ANBU teams out to fight and station the rest as defence with the civilians.") and Shizune is running again. But Sakura and he stand still, forming hand seals, thinking as one._

"_They're here to get me, Tsunade-sama! We'll lead them away from the villagers!"_

"_Don't worry, Shishou! We're too stubborn to die!"_

_And they're gone in a whirl of leafs._

_--------_

_On a rooftop a few blocks away from the marketplace they reappear, crouching, and survey the scene. The four Akatsuki are still standing above the destructed shopping street, no doubt waiting for him. He can see Sakura's mind working, taking in all the details._

"_Itachi, Deidara, Kisame and Tobi. They are not here to destroy Konoha, or they would have caused far more damage already. The explosion was only meant to get you out here. There're Tenten and Neji, and there's Team 8 running straight for them." She turns back to him. "Naruto, we have to get them out of the village before we engage them in battle. I'll intercept the other teams and bring them along; you go get the Akatsuki out of here. Lead them to the outskirts, to the old training grounds. And remember, whatever you do, don't look at **his** eyes!" And she was gone._

_He stands up to his full height, immediately catching the attention of the older Uchiha's eyes.  
They are bleeding red, even from this distance._

"_Kyubi vessel," Itachi addresses him in a monotone voice, "come quietly and no one else will have to die! We are only here for the demon fox."_

_All that pain, all those deaths - because of him. No, he will not 'come quietly', he will not let this injustice go unpunished. Believe it._

_This fight is for more than today, this is for twelve years of pain, for a lost brother and a cherry blossom that doesn't smile anymore! It will all end today! For Sakura, and for Sasuke!_

_He smirked at the older Uchiha, speaking only to him._

"_If you want him …come and claim him!"_

_As Itachi charges at him, he wakens the demon deep within him and speeds past the older man, straight through the group of Akatsuki, showing them the finger for good measure. Sure enough, they are enraged by his cheekiness and they follow._

_--------_

_And then he is amongst trees, path blocked by the Uchiha, but the other Leaf-nin are already in view, splitting up, to stave off the rest of Akatsuki._

_He can feel the Kyubi's strength seep into his veins as he taps into his powers; already two tails are swishing around him. More Leaf shinobi are turning up - he can see Sakura-chan already healing the first injuries, and there's Gai aiming his foot at Kisame's head - he knows they have an old score to settle. He forces himself to shut out the rest of the world and concentrates on the monster before him, charging at the Uchiha and creating bunshin along the way._

_They are exchanging blow after blow and after all the confrontations over the past five years Itachi finally fights him as a serious opponent instead of looking down on him. But it seems the Uchiha has never before shown him his true strength and he is thrown back again and again._

_Another tail._

_It's hard to fight an opponent when you have to look at his feet and he has never before appreciated Might Gai and his unique view of the world as he does now. But this way of fighting goes so much against his nature, because he's always made it a point to look people in the face and show himself to them just the way he is, no matter what they might think of him. So he is thrown back again, unable to not look up…_

_Another tail. More bunshin._

_He can control the fox in this stage now and the rasengan is stronger than ever before - it will end today! And the teme may never forgive him for taking his revenge, but at least he'll **come home **and Sakura-chan will smile again._

"_Futon: Rasengan!"_

_But he never gets to finish the sphere, as another explosion detonates close to his right and throws Sakura and an unconscious Sai into him. They get up quickly and he can't see the others anymore. Where formerly lay a small clearing, is now a gigantic bonfire and boulders cutting them of from the rest. So it is just Sakura and him against Itachi now._

_The Uchiha has seemingly evaded the shock wave of the explosion by jumping farther back into the forest and is now waiting for him to attack again. Mocking him._

_He looks at Sakura and they communicate without words, there are none needed anymore._

_Heal Sai!_

_I will. Finish it!_

_I will._

"_Futon: Rasengan!"_

_And then the world goes black…_

_--------_

_He comes to and all he can see is pink. Deep inside he can feel the Kyubi has tasted blood and rages in his cage, doubling his headache - he must've hit his head somewhere after Itachi kicked him away. His hands are shaking as he tries to control the demon. 'Get away, Sakura-chan. I don't want to hurt you again.' But Sakura's hands are on his temples now and he can feel her cool chakra seeping into his head, soothing even the beast within. The headache lessens and his thoughts become clearer and he remembers the Kyubi's words about her._

"_She has saved your life and in turn mine, she is useful to me. I will not harm her unless it is necessary."_

_The comforting feel of her chakra stops suddenly and he looks up, only to find her gone. Confused he looks around and sees Itachi holding her by the hair, her back to his chest and a kunai at her throat, but there is no fear in her eyes, only determination and disgust. He yanks at her hair, exposing more of her slender throat, drawing a thin red line with the blade._

"_Haruno Sakura, the blossom of the Leaf, rumoured to have already surpassed the Hokage Godaime herself. Talented and beautiful. You will make a wonderful private nurse!"_

"_Never!"_

_He sees Sakura prepare to punch at the Uchiha and give him an opening, so he prepares himself to run at him again. Her punch is powerful, yet misses, but he is already there with a kick that finally connects. Together they actually manage to gain some ground on Itachi._

_Together – as it should be. Kakashi had always tried to instil the importance of teamwork on them and it had worked, to a degree, but in the end his fierce protectiveness had left Sakura on the sidelines for most of the time. He knows she is strong, he knows she is capable, he knows she is brave - but he also knows that he couldn't live with himself should something happen to her. He would die for her and she for him, but maybe they should finally start working together so they could actually **live** for each other._

_Although the oldest Uchiha is in slight distress now, he seems to bask in the hatred directed at him. There's a glint in the mad man's eyes that he has only ever seen when face to face with the demon fox and it disturbs him to think another human being is capable of such malice. _

_But is Itachi really still human? Didn't he lose that part of him, when he slaughtered his family, leaving his own little brother broken and empty? Isn't he a demon in his own right?_

"_Tsuku…"_

_He realizes his mistake to late and is already captivated by the three-bladed pinwheel circled in blood. _

"…_yomi!"_

_A body slams into him, tackling him to the ground, and he is ready to lash out at whoever attacked him. Nearly too late he recognises pink hair and emerald eyes, boring into him, disapprovingly._

"_**I said, DON'T look at his eyes!"**_

_Ashamed he is unable to look at her and lowers his head - he never wants to anger her, but always manages to nonetheless. It's a miracle she hasn't given up on him yet. She's always been better at following the rules than him and while he can live with the villagers' disapproval, hers is something he cannot take. Her picture of him has always been the one that mattered most – first as the beautiful girl who was so far beyond his reach and now as the sister, no, the** family** he's never had._

"_Know your place, little kunoichi!"_

_Itachi's voice echoes in the trees and it's the first time he has heard it filled with a real emotion – anger – instead of the usual forced boredom. The words fill him with dread however and as he looks back up, Sakura is no longer at his side, but struggling in Itachi's firm grip around her throat. She is facing the Uchiha this time and while one of his hands is strangling her, his other is prying her eyes open, dragging her eyelids up. _

'_No, no, no. I won't let you do this to her!' He pushes himself up and runs, hoping to push her out of the other man's gaze, like she'd done for him, but time is working against him again and he knows he won't reach them…_

"_Tsukuyomi!"_

_--------_

_Sakura-chan is lying on the ground, lifeless except for a few whimpering sounds escaping her pale lips. Her skin is sickly grey and paler than usual and her face is etched in a pained frown. _

_No! Kami, no! Please, why couldn't it have been him? Why her?_

_Deep down he knows, she won't survive this, that the mangekyo will destroy her from the inside out. When they'd been twelve, Sasuke-teme had survived by barely a thread and only because he'd had his own Sharingan to strengthen his defences. But Sakura-chan has no defences against something so cruel and powerful as the Tsukuyomi, she's trapped in a make-belief world of Itachi's creation and there is no way to help her…_

…_except to kill the creator! _

_Suddenly there's a bloodlust in him that he's never felt before and it seems even the Kyubi is infuriated by Itachi's actions. He feels himself slipping away in a haze of blood-red mist and cannot bring himself to care about losing his control over the fox. There is only one thing left on his mind, echoed by the fox in a blood-curling howl._

_Kill Him!_

_He is lost to the world around him, as he charges headlong at the Uchiha - no more looking at his feet like an obedient dog, no more holding back his darker side so the fox won't take control, no more plans that will get him nowhere anyway…_

_He really should've known better…_

_--------_

"_Shit! My head hurts!"_

"_I'm working on that, boy. Keep quiet, so I can concentrate."_

_Huh, isn't that the Kyubi's voice? Right, there's the big gate and the fox's glowing eyes, narrowed in concentration. He remembers this place. _

"_So I got knocked out again, huh?"_

"_That** is** usually the outcome, when one looses his head and storms blindly into battle, boy."_

"_Great, now I just need to wake up again…"_

"_Your injuries are not lethal, I will have them fixed in a few seconds, but prepare yourself for another attack. Our opponent is not to be underestimated, I realize that now. I did not see him for what he truly is before, but now I recognise the real nature behind the human mask. Be afraid, boy! Even I cannot measure it's ultimate power…"_

_--------_

_The world comes slowly back into focus as he blinks his eyes open and idly wonders why Itachi hasn't finished him yet. He must've spent a few minutes unconscious and he doesn't think the Uchiha is honourable enough to not kick an opponent when he is down. And what the fuck had that damned fox been talking about anyway? _

_But Sakura-chan's hopeless situation comes back to him, and he has no more time to heed the Kyubi's cryptic words. There she is, still lying on the ground, but he hasn't expected anything else. What does surprise him, is the Uchiha's posture. He is standing slightly bend at the waist, as if under enormous pressure and looking at Sakura with pain evident on his face, one hand clasping his temple. There's also panic in his eyes, something he never expected the older man capable of._

_Although he is still dizzy he slowly pushes himself upright and gets to his feet, but to his astonishment sees that he is not the only one doing so. Shocked, he looses his balance and clumsily falls back on his ass, staring bewildered at Sakura, who is now standing upright, eyes closed and face calm, almost serene. _

_Her head held high, she turns to Itachi, whose shocked expression probably mirrors his own, and he can only see her profile now. It's enough to show him that she is smiling…_

_Slowly he gets up again, unsure what to do. What the hell is happening here? _

_Her eyes open, locking instantly with those of their enemy, and he almost falls on his ass again, when he sees that the beautiful orbs are no longer their usual bright, emerald green, but instead show a white pinwheel encircled in a rich dark green, almost the colour of the grass under Konoha's oldest trees. It's three blades are thinner than those of Itachi's Mangekyo (which almost describes a triangle with extended peaks) and appear more like the blades of three scythes interwoven in the middle, where they meet around her pupil, which is also green now. He's seen this before, Kakashi's form of the Mangekyo Sharingan looks the same, only coloured differently. _

_Before he has time to figure out what is happening with her, he notices a small wind pick up on the ground between her and Itachi, circling and throwing up dust. As he watches the mini-tornado grows larger, it's circle now almost reaching their feet._

"**_Sakura-chan!"_**

_But she doesn't react, doesn't even seem to notice the wind that is now streaming along their legs, blowing around the skirt of her uniform and even Itachi's long ponytail. Their eyes still locked they stand motionless, as if they are statues._

_Curiously, the tornado does not grow in height however and even as it widens it's circle to envelope them fully and lock them on the inside, he can still see them from the waist up. He begins to panic – she's conscious, so why isn't she moving out of there? – and runs head-on into the wind, only to crash into it as if into a wall, which makes it the third time now that he has hit his head today and he has to shake it to dispel some of the dizziness. He tries again, slower this time, to get through to her and keeps his hands in front of him, resembling a blindfolded man hoping not to run into a lamppost. His hands make contact with something solid only a breath away from the wind, but there's nothing there, at least nothing visible. He pushes against whatever it is but it wont budge, and he realizes that, although he can see the moving air just beyond his hands, he can't **feel** it moving against his skin… _

_He feels along the invisible wall a bit, pushes it with his shoulder, and even tries to kick it once. 'It's solid', he decides, 'like a protective barrier or a ban.' Abstractly he wonders whether it is meant to keep him outside, …or them inside. _

"_Naruto!"_

_He recognises the voice as Kakashi's and turns around to see him running through the still smouldering ashes of the fire that had previously cut them of from the others. The rest of them is following and he can see two of the Akatsuki, Deidara and Kisame, still fighting, but steadily getting closer to his position. He sees shock in everyone's eyes as they catch sight of Sakura and Itachi and the panic rises in him again._

"_Kakashi-sensei! We have to get her out of there!"_

"_What the hell happened here, Naruto?"_

"_There's no time to explain, we have to get her out first!"_

_A massive sword is swung at their heads and they have to evade Kisame's attack, before they can come to a conclusion. Apparently there's not much loyalty amongst S-class criminals, as neither Deidara nor Kisame seem all too concerned with Itachi's situation. They carry on fighting around the circle and occasionally someone gets thrown into the barrier, but the two on the inside are not disturbed by it._

_Suddenly the tornado starts emitting an ear-splitting roar, getting louder by the second, and time seems to halt again as the height of the circle grows and shoots into the sky like a giant pillar supporting the ceilings of heaven itself. _

_The wind has become so dense, that he has trouble to make out the two forms still standing in the centre of column and the fighting stops as everyone is staring at the tornado in awe. _

_And then everything is silent._

_The wind collapses in on itself._

_They all hold their breath as Sakura's pink hair shines brightly through the slowly settling dust. _

_Itachi is falling and Sakura is still smiling. _

_Slowly she turns her gaze from the collapsing Itachi towards the remaining two Akatsuki and he can see them flinch as they recognise the symbols in her eyes. They are afraid, he realises and watches as a slight tremor runs through their bodies and they turn their eyes away, unable to look at her. _

_And then Itachi hits the ground and doesn't get up._

Sasuke stayed silent throughout Naruto's tale, listening intently. But now that the dobe had finished, his head was spinning with so many new questions, which were giving his headache a new boost, that he almost wished he'd never asked in the first place. Sakura overcoming the mangekyo and possessing the Sharingan? What. The. Fuck?

_The dobe was kidding him, …right? _

"That's… what happened?" He asked doubtfully, right eyebrow raised almost to his hairline.

"Yeah, teme, that's what happened." Naruto, who had stood up sometime during his narration, to put more emphasis on some of the scenes and to even partially act them out, sank back into his chair and let out a sigh. He was exhausted, his neck was still hurting from sleeping with his head hanging over the backrest and _damn_, now his nose was hurting again, too. And to top it all off the teme didn't even believe him…

" Actually," he picked up again, as he remembered, that the story didn't end right there on the battle field, "there's a bit more. You see, when the Akatsuki saw that Itachi wasn't getting up, they babbled something about 'not being defeated yet' and 'coming back' and then made a run for it. And…"

"Naruto, that's enough!"

Bewildered they both looked towards the voice's origin and saw Sakura standing by the closed door. She must've snuck in while they'd been caught up in the dobe's tale, Sasuke guessed and had to give her some credit for her improved stealth. He looked inquiringly at her, waiting for her to call the dobe on his lies.

"Naruto's not lying, Sasuke." She answered as if reading his thoughts. _So she was in on this shit, too._ He snorted and turned his gaze to the window.

"You actually think me gullible enough to believe that a weakling like _you_," here he looked back at her, giving her his coldest glare, "could defeat the Sharingan!"

They locked eyes for a moment and she turned away first, looking down at her feet. No matter how much her body might have grown, her reaction showed him that she was still just the weak and easily intimidated little girl, he'd left unconscious on that bench eight years ago.

"You haven't changed, Sakura." He told her cruelly. "You're still a spineless weakling."

"That's not true, you bastard. Sakura-chan's grown a lot since you left!" The dobe kept on spluttering beside him, but Sasuke paid him no heed as his eyes never left the girl at the foot of his hospital bed. "…And she once punched Sai through three concrete walls, boy, he couldn't get up for a week! And… and she's _not_ weak!"

"Enough!" Her voice demanded authority and held a strange tone that he'd only ever heard his father use – once during a clan meeting (the first one he'd been allowed to sit in on) to dispel an argument. Back then his father had silenced the hole room full of over twenty shouting people without even raising his voice, leaving him awed at his father's strength - and he had no doubt that had there been twenty other people in his hospital room right now, they'd be cowering before her, like the dobe was doing now. And although he had enough self-control to keep it hidden, there was a small part deep inside him that had the urge to bow down and show his respect, like he'd learned to so many years ago.

Mentally shaking of these rather disturbing thoughts, he concentrated on the present and watched as her head rose and her eyes slowly opened to reveal eyes like none he'd ever seen before and yet were so achingly familiar. There was only one word running through his head.

_Mangekyo!

* * *

_

**A/N: So here's what happened through Naruto's eyes and like he said in chapter one, he has no idea what actually went on. Hope you liked it. **

**I want to take this moment to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter. **

**Thank you metrogurl803, Mel Isabelle, kattylin, Valkyrie of the Rohirrim and Archerelf! You guys are the best! **

**God, I never expected anyone would actually like Sakura the Dragon Slayer, but I've always been a fan of the idea and once I figured out a semi-acceptable plot and a way for her to do it (cause let's face it, there aren't many ways to beat the Sharingan) I just started writing. And this is what came out. Truth be told, it's not exactly like I planned it, the story kind of keeps changing and adding onto itself while I'm typing it…**

**For example, Sasuke's mysterious headache that seems completely unaffected by the pain killers. I hadn't even thought of that when I made my notes, and then I wrote the first sentence and there it was. And I like it, so I'm keeping it around for a while. Oh yeah, we'll get a little info about it in the next chapter, courtesy of … Tsunade (as always accompanied by her two faithful, …uh, pugs)!**

**And again, a few explanations to this chapter:**

**The Flashback (yes, with a capital 'F'): I wanted it to be separate from the hospital scene without making big signs that say "Flashback starts here!" so I put it in Italics. And I changed into present tense to give myself a little challenge, as I usually write in past tense and needed the practice (yes, I'm masochistic that way…).**

**Also, it's solely from Naruto's PoV, so I made it my goal to never actually say his name (he's probably not thinking of himself as 'Naruto', right?) and I tried to keep the thoughts as close to his personality as possible. Therefore the choice of words and his articulation aren't as haughty as for example Sasuke's PoV. I purposely kept his description to the minimum and his thoughts a little jumbled, as that's the person I see him as. While he's not dumb, he doesn't have the analytical mind Sakura has and doesn't concentrate on every detail. I think the best way to describe him would be to describe the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts: "They feel before they think." And that's exactly what he does in this flashback, his every move is guided by his feelings and so they take on a more important part then 'what jutsus does he use' or 'how many times did he land a punch on Itachi'. That's just not the way he works. Sure, he wants to learn more powerful jutsu and better himself, but I think, for him that's more a means to an end. It doesn't so much matter _how_ he reaches his goal as that he tries as hard as he can and never gives up. **

**Besides, if I had put in all the separate jutsu and described every little thing, I probably would have totally ruined it, as I'm not very good with fighting scenes and remembering what Jutsu does what, so I would've inevitably forgotten/mixed up important things.**

**Then there's the Kyubi. Of course he's not _tamed _in this story, but I mellowed him down a bit for story purposes (yes, his cryptic words will come up again) and there's also the fact, that he knows that Akatsuki are after him and why, and I don't think he actually _wants_ to be sealed into a creepy statue so he's supporting Naruto as much as he can.**

**The Mangekyo: Man, that thing is fucking awful to describe! I sat there for an hour just for the paragraph about Sakura's eyes. That was the best I could come up with… And yes, Kakashi's and Itachi's mangekyo are very differently drawn in the manga, which will play an important role in this fic later on. **

**Anyone, who can tell why I chose green and white for Sakura's eyes gets Brownie Points! (And no, it's not because her eyes are naturally green…)**

**So, that's it! Please read and review. See you next time, when 'poor' Sasuke gets put through the wringer again as he learns some more shocking news… **


	3. Cold Lazarus

Disclaimer: don't own nothing

Chapter 03

**Cold Lazarus

* * *

**

_I'm searching for answers  
cause something's not right.  
I follow the signs;  
I'm close to the fire. _

I fear that soon you'll reveal  
your dangerous mind.

I'm searching for answers  
not questioned before.  
The curse of awareness,  
there's no peace of mind  
as your true colours show  
a dangerous sign.

I just have to know, while I still have time.  
Do I have to run, or hide away from you?

It's in your eyes, what's on your mind.  
I see the truth that you've buried inside.  
It's in your eyes, what's on your mind.  
There is no mercy, just anger I find.  
_I fear your presence, I'm frozen inside.

* * *

_

"Ah, Sakura-chan, stop it! It was creepy enough the first time!" Naruto hid his eyes behind his hands - he'd seen enough of this new ability of hers to last him a lifetime. It seemed to alter her whole being until she wasn't herself anymore – amplifying her presence and radiating a strange glow around her that _felt_ old, ancient even, like nature itself – and he didn't like it. No, he didn't like it at all…

When they'd been genin, he'd seen Sasuke change with every evolution of his Sharingan, tinting his aura darker every time, like a bruise on his soul growing steadily larger. Kakashi's chakra signature had also felt strangely _coloured_ with _something_ ever since he'd achieved the Mangekyo. Not really blackened like the teme's, but still so powerful that his very essence felt tense with energy and at times seemed almost feral, especially when confronted with conflict. There had been times when he'd actually felt uncomfortable around his old sensei.

And now it was happening to Sakura-chan and he had no idea what to do about it or if there even was anything that _could_ be done…

"Impossible!" The whisper escaped Sasuke before he could clamp his lips shut and, much to his chagrin, he could see a smirk ghosting across Sakura's face.

"Im_probable_!" She had the nerve to correct him. "Everything's possible, Sasuke, some things are just a lot less likely to happen then others…"

With the proof quite literally staring him right in the face, Sasuke could no longer disregard their story as some kind of twisted fairy tale and he finally started to believe the dobe's words. But with believe came reaction and he was confronted with feelings he'd never readied himself for. So long he had waited for this moment, anticipated it even, and for so long he had prepared himself to finally _feel_ something …anything, again, that he never really imagined _what_ he would feel.

Satisfaction, yes, he'd counted on that one, although he'd hoped for more than he actually felt, but attributed this shortcoming to the fact that it hadn't been he who had committed the final act.

There was also a sense of peace enveloping him that he'd only ever experienced when in his mother's arms. The fight was over, his quest had ended and he was finally free to live his life the way _he_ wanted, not for his father, not for his brother, but for himself.

But beyond that there was only sadness and it caught him of guard with it's intensity. His brother was dead, his last living relative gone – he was truly alone in this world now. 'The last Uchiha', the 'only survivor' – he didn't care much for these titles and now they were inevitably bestowed upon him for the rest of his life.

'_Nii-san_' The word whispered unbidden through his mind and brought with it a wave of memories long forgotten about the brother he used to love, before the massacre, before everything went bloody, before…

He couldn't look at them anymore and turned his head to the window, ashamed they might perceive the sadness in his eyes as weakness. He wasn't weak; he never had been, so why did it feel as if even breathing would be too difficult a task right now?

"The last of my family – he is dead then…"

Still standing at the foot of the bed, Sakura could see the emotions flickering in his eyes and wasn't surprised to find grief and sorrow to be predominant. She'd always known that he'd one day regret his brother's demise, had tried telling him, as had Kakashi-sensei, but their warnings had fallen on deaf ears. Her heart went out to him, as it always did when the topic of his family came up – she couldn't stand to see him sad and that would probably never change, no matter how far he went out of his way to hurt her.

She knew his earlier words had been spoken more out of confusion then out of hatred towards her and that this was his way of dealing with situations beyond his comprehension. In that regard he was very much like a wild animal, lashing out when backed into a corner, a defence mechanism that activated on it's own volition, without him even noticing. His cruel words had been meant to pressure her into admitting that it was all a lie and they'd just been playing a prank on him. But it wasn't and they hadn't – he would have to accept that eventually, so she'd sped up the process by showing him what wasn't meant for his eyes to see, at least not yet…

She returned her eyes to their normal emerald green with a blink and looked at Naruto, who was obviously itching to help his lost friend, as he always did and always would. Sweet Naruto, who cared too much for his own good and was always ready to help others, even when only few would return the favour. The kunoichi knew they had information that could help Sasuke and prevent him from falling into depression, but she also knew that he wasn't ready to learn about this yet. Without proper explanations he would fly into a blind rage, saying and more importantly _doing_ things he would certainly regret later on. And she didn't have those explanations at the moment, although she'd been searching for them for the last three days.

Naruto locked eyes with her and she tried to project her hesitation through this connection, making her caution clear with one stern look. But he'd apparently become immune to her anger over the years and showed no fear of her wrath now.

'He has a right to know,' his eyes seemed to be arguing, 'and if you won't tell him, I will!'

'Naruto, don't do…'

But before she had even finished her mental plea, he turned back to their old friend and blurted out a sentence that would inevitably cause her a great deal of grief in the near future.

"Actually, teme, I never said, your _brother_ was dead. I was talking about the monster that killed your clan…"

Before Naruto had even finished his controversial statement, she was already pressed against the wall, Sasuke's hands around her throat, and his eyes ablaze in red flames. _Shit, this was **exactly** why she hadn't wanted to tell him_. _Thank you, Naruto no baka, thank you **very** much!_

"You healed him!" It was not a question.

"Yes." She answered him as calm as she could. What else was there to say really, he'd already figured it out…

From the corner of her eye she could see Naruto readying himself to drag the enraged boy off of her, but she had to stand her ground alone or Sasuke would never acknowledge her fully. She had made the right decision that day and she would defend that decision with everything she had, against him and everyone else. He would understand it eventually, once she'd found all the answers and given them to him. So she held up a restraining hand towards the Kyubi boy and told him quietly: "No Naruto, let him be!"

Sasuke was in a state of confusion and anger and, blinded by the feelings of indignation and betrayal, he was on his feet and at her throat instantly, never even noticing Naruto's _second_ sentence. Her eyes stared straight into his as she took his accusation with apparent calm, showing no sign of fear, and it angered him even more. Didn't she care that she had spared the live of a monster? Didn't she care what this was doing to him?

He'd never thought her capable of opposing her beloved _Sasuke-kun_ and was suddenly blindsided by how much it hurt to not have her on his side, especially in this case. _Hadn't she once offered to help him get his revenge, to leave everything behind for his sake? What happened to that?_

"Why!" His voice was low and his hands constricted a little more around her throat.

"Because he's not responsible for the massacre!" Again she sounded calm, too calm for his liking and her words were a taunt to his ears. He tightened his hands some more to punish her for her insolence, but still she didn't fear him. If anything she seemed to be encouraging him by not defending herself. 'Do it,' her eyes appeared to scream at him, 'do it and prove yourself no better than _him_!'

And he wanted to do it! Kami, how much he wanted to…

He felt a rush in his blood as the sensation of having this much power over her swept through him – he could take her life, right here and now, _it would be so easy_, just a little more pressure and she'd be gone in a moment! His hands were literally twitching to feel her slender windpipe give way under their touch and his sight grew foggy with a bloodied mist. His mind projected visions of a world without her in it through the haze and he watched as his own body stood laughing over her lifeless corpse. Naruto would be next and after that the world! For, with her and her strange, piercing eyes gone, _who_ could stop him? He saw himself as Hokage executing Kakashi and again he was laughing as the blood of his old sensei glistened in the sun…

Shocked at his own sick imagination he let go of her and hastily backed away, eyes widening and hands falling lifeless to his sides. That wasn't him, was it? No, no he wasn't like that! He didn't kill for his own amusement, he wasn't _that_ cold. The visions scared him – _was that what would have become of him, had he killed Naruto all those years ago in the Valley of Death and gained the Mangekyo Sharingan? _

He took a deep breath and as his sight became clear again, he saw her still standing against the wall looking at him with soft eyes that strangely held no accusation or condemnation, but friendship and acceptance, as if the last few minutes had never occurred. Why did she always forgive him? Didn't she grow tired of the hurt he was causing her? He'd almost killed her just now and still she didn't hate him…

Covering his shock with some of the anger that had now mostly dissipated, he returned his features to their apathetic mask, hoping to safe face rather than out of any real fury. _An Uchiha didn't let his emotions get out of hand like that, especially not in front of others. _Even though his father had been gone for over a decade now, his rules still stood firm in Sasuke's mind and he'd always followed them as best as he could – which hadn't always been easy, what with having to put up with silly fan girls chasing him, a pervert for a sensei and a brain-dead ramen-freak as a best friend. And Oto hadn't been any better…

"I was there; I saw their blood on his hands!" He roared at her, although most of the rage had left him, he still wanted answers and he didn't intend to let her forget it. "Explain yourself!"

"I can't – not now, anyway." _Well, that wasn't satisfying him. First the dobe and now her, didn't anyone have sufficient answers in this village?_ He glared at her, urging her to go on.

"All I know for sure," she continued, "is that I turned the Tsukuyomi against him and was able to enter his mind, but I need more information about the Mangekyo itself to explain everything I saw in there. I have to have all the answers first, before I can give them to you, Sasuke. I can't give out half-assumptions and theories without solid proof."

Her eyes averted suddenly from his to his left side and, curious, he followed her gaze. Blood was dripping down his arm, because he had torn of the catheter as he leapt at her. Looking back up, he saw her starting towards him, green healing chakra already gathering in her hand. A sudden panic sped up his heart as she drew closer. _What if the visions came back and he ended up killing her this time?_ Desperate to get her away from him, he snarled at her and she retreated. The panic slowly ebbed away and he was able to maintain his glare.

Obviously taken aback by his fierce reaction she took a deep breath and started to speak in a more formal tone.

"Tsunade-sama has given me seven days to prepare a report to be presented before the Elder Council at an official hearing. Based on that report, or rather exculpation if you will, the council will then decide on the fates of Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi."

He almost flinched at the last name, but held it back. She had her arms behind her back now and was standing straight, but kept her gaze slightly lower than his. What was she planning and where was she going with this speech? The old lady would surely inform him of all this officially later on; there was no need for her to bring it up now…

"I spent the last three days searching the Archives and even the Forbidden Scrolls for sufficient information, but nothing can explain what happened to me exactly. To find answers I'll have to browse more specific sources. You know what I'm talking about, Sasuke – the private Archives of the Uchiha clan and even your family's Hidden Library."

_So, this was the reason – she needed his authorisation! _He acknowledged her statement with a nod, but gave no indication of his comprehension regarding her ulterior motive.

"As I'm not a member of the Uchiha clan, I can only gain access to them by appealing to the clan leader to grant me entry. But as you and your brother are both considered criminals right now and neither of you has ever been officially inaugurated as clan leader, there is no one for me to ask."

Here she paused and bowed slightly. He recognised the gesture as one his father had often received from the other clan members and shinobi, even many of the civilians in the village had shown their respect for him this way. A little part of him revelled in this kind of attention and his glare lessened.

"Out of respect for you and the bond we have shared in the past I herewith officially inquire to be granted access to the private and hidden libraries in possession of the Uchiha clan to finish my studies, Uchiha-sama."

Special attention or not, he wouldn't let her of the hook so easily and intensified his glare again. He caught her gaze when she straightened up and held it, making it clear that it would take a lot more to get his forgiveness.

"Get out!" He told her, ice lacing his voice and face. Her face fell but she complied to his request without comment, just a nod. Before she turned away however he gave her a short nod to show his acceptance of her plea and give his consent. She smiled in return and left quietly.

Naruto, who had gone mostly unnoticed throughout all this, watched her go and looked back at Sasuke when the door clicked shut. It took all the self-restraint he had not to lunge across the bed and punch the other man's lights out. He'd only held himself back earlier out of respect for Sakura-chan. She'd asked him not to interfere and he had complied because he trusted her judgement more than his own. But she wasn't here anymore and he was free to give the teme what he deserved – _a good helping of knuckle-sandwich!_

But Sasuke had apparently forgotten all about him and Naruto watched as his mask collapsed in on itself, leaving behind the face of a man deep in troubling thoughts. He sighed; _maybe that sandwich could wait till later_. After all, what honour was there in knocking around someone who was wearing a hospital gown?

"I'll come back when you've cooled down a bit, teme." With that he left the room in search for Hinata-chan. She was always good at listening to him rant and letting him vent a little. Her presence had a calming effect on him and he needed that now…

Back in the room Sasuke was lost in thought about the visions he had encountered. Had those really come from some sick, twisted part of his mind?

_It couldn't be! …Right_?

Yes, he had hurt Sakura over the years, sometimes deliberately and sometimes not – but never physically and certainly never to the point of nearly killing her. _Except for that time in the snake's lair_, he cringed as the memory came back to him. But that attack hadn't been meant for her personally, he'd barely registered her presence back then. He had just wanted to make sure they left him alone…

Even when his cursed seal had erupted for the first time during the chunin exams and he'd been unable to control the blood lust clouding his mind, he hadn't raised so much as a finger in her direction. On the contrary, her hug had driven the seal back, anchoring him in reality.

But this time his aggression had been meant for her and her alone, and it had nothing to do with the cursed seal. He hadn't felt the tell-tale twinge at the base of his neck or the burning of the spreading marks on his skin. This had come from deep inside of him, not from the superficial mark of the snake. He had _wanted_ to kill her and even now he couldn't think of the reason why. She'd angered him in the past, mostly without intention to, and he'd given her a hard time for it by verbally assaulting her, but never through physical force. He'd once promised to _protect_ her life with his, hadn't he?

Even more disconcerting was that the visions made no sense. Yes, he was a killer, as were most ninja, and it had been his goal to become one since he'd been eight years old; however, that had happened more out of necessity then out of want. But the pictures had shown him killing the three people closest to his heart – because they still were, even after all these years – without remorse or reason…

Why would he want to kill Kakashi anyway? He hadn't seen the copy-nin in over two years and the man was no threat to him. So why had it felt as if he'd _have_ to get rid of his old sensei when he'd been in this strange trance?

And himself as Hokage? That was just ridiculous. He'd never wanted to become Hokage – ANBU captain yes, even clan leader, but never Hokage. That had always been the dobe's dream and not once had he rivalled Naruto for that goal. He wasn't fit to sit in a stuffy office, drowning in paperwork and sending out others to do what should be his job.

He grew frustrated with himself. They'd just told him that Itachi was still alive and, at the moment, detained somewhere in Konoha. _That man_ was probably right here in the hospital and all he could think of were Sakura's piercing new eyes and cryptic words and what they had nearly made him do…

He should be out there looking for that monster and finally finish what Sakura had been too chicken-shit to do, not just stand here pondering some stupid mental images! But something held him back and it weren't just the ANBU stationed around his (and, most likely, Itachi's) room…

Excluding the times she'd chased after him for dates, Sakura was generally a smart person, with a very rational mind. _She must've had a good reason for her actions_, he concluded, _even if he couldn't comprehend them yet_.

That thought frustrated him even more, he didn't deal well with the unknown, and he punched the wall next to the window, letting out a string of four-letter words for good measure.

_Fuck! That hurt! _Well, he'd just learnt that concrete was a lot less suited to venting one's anger in a physical manner than wood.

"I wouldn't do that too often if I were you," sounded a hard, female voice from behind him. Surprised he turned towards the door and came face to face with the Hokage Godaime herself. "You've lost enough blood as it is…"

_Damn those drugs they had him on, they ruined his vigilance._ He hadn't even heard the door, much less felt her chakra coming closer. He stared at his hand again, tried to move his fingers and nearly blacked out from the pain.

"Sit down before you fall down, brat!"

Grudgingly he complied and sat on his bed, suddenly exhausted and tired. Fixing his gaze on the window and away from her, he saw the sun slowly setting behind the tree tops. At least the day was nearly over; maybe he could go back to being unconscious without any more surprises…

Tsunade came over to his bed, gave a little disapproving "tsk tsk" when her eyes fell on the torn-out catheter and lifted his newly injured hand. _Stupid brat!_ _Chakra still mostly depleted, barely able to stand on his feet, but he **had** to go and try to break something…_

"Congratulations, Wonder boy, you've successfully turned your right hand into a maraca. After I set it, you can sit in with the relief band…" She'd finished examining his hand and couldn't resist mocking the little dipshit a bit.

_What was it, Konoha's 'Annual Annoy the Uchiha Day'?_ Sasuke knew she was goading him and kept quiet despite the irritation growing in his gut. After everything he'd heard in the last few hours, she'd have to do a lot better than that to get a reaction out of him. He felt her chakra slowly knitting his bones together and the pain lifted from his hand.

"The hand will be numb for a few hours," she told him sternly, finishing her work with a bandage, "keep it still for the next two days and _don't_ try to cripple it permanently, again!"

He still kept silent, his gaze averted from her and it unnerved the Hokage to no end. _Which was probably his reason for doing it in the first place_, she thought with a huff. Never one to take being ignored lightly, she stomped around the bed to block his view of the window and started speaking again before he could turn away his head.

"It's after six Wonder boy, you can stop being snotty!"

That one earned her a glare, which prompted her to give him a cheerful smile in return.

"Sakura has just informed me, that you're finally awake, so I thought I'd come by and tell you about all the _fun_ you're in for." More glaring from him and her smile turned up a notch. _Damn, it felt good to make fun of that arrogant brat _– _she'd have to remind herself to do this more often._ "First of all, there's going to be a hearing on your behalf at 10am this coming Saturday. You will be staying in this room until then. Oh, and it's Monday evening now, by the way."

"We will keep your presence in Konoha on a need-to-know basis for the time being, so your recuperation will be monitored solely by Sakura, Shizune and me. And since Shizune is busy organizing the hearing and I simply don't _like_ you very much Wonder boy, you'll have to put up with Sakura as your healer, whether you like it or not. Should you however decide to give her a hard time for various personal reasons, I can and will have you put in restraints. So if you like sitting upright and being able to move your head, you _will_ be on your best behaviour with her, as I'm sure your mother has taught you how to be a gentleman."

The little brat was trying to kill her with his eyes and she beamed even more. _And was that a growl coming from him? _She hadn't had this much fun in years and she wasn't even drunk…

"Now, there are several ANBU guards stationed around this room and throughout the hospital and they have strict orders to incapacitate you on sight should you be found outside of this room, no questions asked. That means for you: no taking walks, no scouting out the building and no _visiting_ your brother. Do I make myself clear?"

She stared at him inquiringly and he gave a reluctant nod. He'd already known this anyway, it was standard procedure…

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Again he glared at her. He wasn't a child anymore and he'd never relished being treated like one. Especially not by an old, obnoxious drunk like her.

"Well, now that that's over, let's talk a little about the reason you're in this uncomfortable situation in the first place. And by '_talk_' I mean, that you will actually open your mouth and articulate words, if possible even full sentences, when I ask you a question. …Do you remember how you ended up in Konoha?"

He gave a nod and she narrowed her eyes at him. Growling lowly under his breath he gave her a forced "yes."

"_Very good_ Wonder boy, give it another four or five years and we'll have you reciting Shakespeare. Now, do you remember everything that happened out there in the forest before you lost consciousness?"

"Yes."

"Really?" She was sceptical. After everything her old team mate had subjected him to during their fight, he could very well have severe brain-damaging, especially the area where his memory was stored. But without him cooperating it was hard to tell. That brat was just too stubborn for his own good "Well, what _did_ happen?"

"He ambushed me, we fought, I killed him." Short and to the point, but oh so wrong…

"_You** did**?_" She asked, her impressed voice overtly fake. "…Huh!"

He didn't answer, but stared at her suspiciously.

"So tell me then, how did you kill an _immortal_ man? …Or '_undying_' would probably be the better adjective. How _did_ you kill an undying man, Wonder boy?"

He stayed silent and she knew it wasn't because he hated talking.

"You can't remember, can you?" She asked him quietly, the humour leaving her.

He looked at her, curiosity picked. "What do you know about it?"

"Quite a lot actually." She began to list his symptoms, counting them with her fingers. "There're gaps in your recollection concerning the events of three days prior, you have a headache that could knock out a rhinoceros despite the painkillers we gave you and you are physically exhausted and weak." She looked him in the eye and cocked her head questioningly. "Feel free to interrupt me if I'm wrong. "

He just gave her a slight shake of the head that told her she wasn't wrong at all.

"The next few questions are important, Sasuke. Please answer me truthfully and as explicit as possible, I need to assess how much damage he caused." She was all business now – the snake summoner, who she'd once called her friend, had had a rather vicious streak of sadism and he'd done quite a number on the boy's mind. Maybe it was better that he didn't remember after all…

"Do you have any perceivable gaps in your long term memories? Your childhood for example, or your days with Team 7?"

"Not as far as I can tell…" His voice was quiet and she could see the unease in his eyes. He was nervous and worried and no longer tried to hide it from her. _Good, this was going to be much easier with his cooperation…_

"While you were on your feet just now, did you notice any trouble with your motor skills? Trembling, convulsions, unresponsive body parts?

"No."

"Good, that's good. Any tics or other anomalies as far as you can tell?"

"No." He shortly wondered if she could be talking about the visions he'd experienced and considered telling her, but decided to keep that little titbit to himself for now.

"Good, the damage seems to be minimal then. We'll need to monitor that headache though. But regarding any future developments, I can only guess and I don't like making bets when it comes to the health of a patient. This case _is_ quite unprecedented…"

"What did he do to me?"

_Wow, a full sentence, he really must be worried._ Tsunade didn't actually want to tell him, Orochimaru and his actions were a rather sore spot for her. But the brat deserved to know, if only to teach him a lesson….

"Well, I wasn't actually present, but as far as I know, he saw his chances to possess your body wane and made a last frantic attempt to take it. He performed a forbidden jutsu that he had undoubtedly honed and perfected over the last few years. It connected his conscience to yours while disconnecting it from his old body. This mental attack is what's causing your headache and memory lapses. The human mind is not made to be invaded and superseded like that. So, as a matter of survival, your mind technically shut down and rebooted itself, so to speak."

"Why didn't he succeed?"

"Let's just say you had a very good and loyal guardian angel that day, Wonder boy…"

"Hey, teme, I'm back!"

Tsunade was, for the first time since meeting him, glad to see Naruto and his inability to knock like any normal person. This conversation had taken a rather uncomfortable turn and she took this interruption to re-attach the catheter and make a quick exit.

Naruto, ignorant of what he'd barged in on, didn't give Baa-chan's hasty exit any thought and concentrated on Sasuke. Hinata-chan had encouraged him to come back and just talk to the teme. She had asked him to at least make an effort to not leave him alone in his brooding and he wasn't going to disappoint her. '_Leaving an angst-ridden man to brood in his own troubled thoughts could never result in a good outcome,_' she'd told him and he believed her, especially now that he saw the teme's ashen face.

He sat down in the chair as he'd done hours ago and prepared himself for a long night. Right now Sasuke was pretty much ignoring him, but he wouldn't let that go on for much longer. With vigour and a stubbornness ingrained by years of seeking the villager's attention he started talking about all the things his friend had missed in the last few years, sparing him nothing, not even the smallest detail.

Sasuke lasted no longer than an hour…

"Shut up, dobe!" He finally shouted, his ears bleeding from the dobe's insipid drivel, driving that damn headache to new heights. He massaged the bridge of his nose in the hopes of relieving some of the pain.

Naruto grinned, despite Sasuke's harsh tone; after all, it took a lot of skill to get such a reaction out of someone like the Uchiha Ice Cube.

"I'm just trying to get you out of your funk, teme. There's no point sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, you know. What's done is done…"

Sasuke snorted and Naruto kept on, unaware that the other man's focus had changed during his talk with the Hokage and that he was just bringing Sakura back into his thoughts.

"Sakura-chan is just trying to do the right thing, Sasuke. Just accept it and move on, you can't stay mad at her forever!"

'_Watch me,'_ Sasuke thought irritably and sent a glare in the dobe's direction. He was good at holding grudges and Sakura would bear the brunt of this one…

"I actually think she's right about your brother." Naruto could clearly read the accusation in Sasuke's eyes – _How could you take **his** side over mine? How could you defend someone like **him**?_ they seemed to ask in outrage. But the Kyubi boy kept on, trying to explain his decision as best as he could and to get the teme to lay off of Sakura, at least a bit.

"I talked to him yesterday, you know, and he's not the same person I fought so many times. He's changed somehow, as if he had a complete different personality for the last few years."

He paused here, unsure how to continue. He looked down at his feet, maybe he should just say it, but who knew how the teme would react. He didn't want a repeat of Sasuke's earlier temper tantrum…

Looking back up, he saw Sasuke staring at him incredulously and it strengthened his resolve. It needed to be said and by Kami, he would do it, no matter the outcome.

"He… he asked about you, you know? If you're alright..." He paused again, taking a deep breath. "Sasuke, he was _crying_!"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, everyone who wants to kill me, please take a number and get in line…**

**I know, most of you probably wanted Sakura to kick Sasuke where the sun don't shine when he had her against the wall, but it would have accomplished nothing here and it certainly wouldn't have made him any more receptive for her point of view. She's smart and knows that you can't reason with someone by forcing your view on them. It would have made him shut her out even more. I guess you could say she was buttering him up a little (or a lot) in this chapter! (That whole honey vs. vinegar thing…)**

**And the part where he wanted to kill her and scared even himself will be important later on and serves as a very much needed reality check for him. But never fear, her time will come and she'll knock some sense into him, physically and mentally…**

**Yes, Itachi is still alive and No, Naruto didn't lie in the first two chapters. His wording was very deliberate – he never actually said: 'Uchiha Itachi is dead.' It was just Sasuke who assumed Naruto was saying that. Well, he assumed wrong…**

**But don't worry, she won that fight fair and square, just because she healed him afterwards doesn't make it any less of a victory!**

**My reason for keeping him alive is very simple: _There're sooo many questions still unanswered about him and everything he did – and if you kill him of just like that, you'll never get the answers!_**

**For example: Why did he suddenly change? **

**And why did he kill his clan? Sure, he didn't want to become clan leader and wasn't all that interested in the clan's life and traditions… _So, move out_! Get your own apartment and have that _uncomfortable talk with your father_! He has a younger brother, who could have, and most likely wanted to, take leadership. That's no reason to kill someone… And don't get me started on his whole "test the depth of my container" bullshit! So he killed babies and old doters and generally people who are _so obviously_ weaker than him to proof his strength? Now that's a prime example of high-quality logical reasoning right there…**

**And why leave Sasuke alive? Right, let's look at the facts – he told Wonder boy, that he was weak and wasn't even worth killing. Ookay, so babies, who can't even speak the word kunai, much less throw one, are worthy of the time and energy it takes to kill them, but an eight year old, who's already enlisted in the academy, knows at least one Katon and is practicing like a mad man to be the best of his year (which he was), isn't _worthy_? Riiight… **

**And why is his Mangekyo different from Kakashi's?**

**And last but not least, HOW THE HELL did Kakashi even get the Mangekyo? According to Itachi, one has to kill his best friend, but Kakashi remarks in the manga that every person he cared about is already long dead. And right now the closest thing to his 'best friend' would be either Iruka or Might Guy, but they are both very noticeably alive after the time-skip (during which Kakashi gained the Mangekyo). So did he kill anyone at all or did he get it some other way? And if he _did_ kill anyone close to him, wouldn't he be in prison right now, because, since everyone close to him is a leaf-nin, he'd have killed a fellow shinobi, not an enemy, and would be persecuted for murder, right?**

**And I'm also a strong believer of the theory that deep down Sasuke still loves his nii-san (you know, the one he was before the massacre) very much and that if/when he does kill him, he will probably never recover from it. It will probably just drive him deeper into this black hole he's living in now…**

**So, please bear with me, okay? I made my own little theory about all this and it answers those questions as well as one can without further information in the manga. I doubt any of this will actually happen in the real story and I also doubt that it is even remotely similar to what Kishimoto has in mind, but that's the point of fan fiction, right? To explore the possibilities not given in the actual story/show…**

**Thank you moodiful819, honouring death, gaarafaves, Laura-chan and C.A.M.E.O.1 for your reviews, it's nice to get encouraged once in a while!**

**Brownie points go to moodiful819.**

**honoring death: according to Wiki the Japanese term is ****_Kyūbi no Yōkō_, but I can't say for sure if they've really got it right or not. But since the german translation of the manga _only_ uses german terms for _every_ character there is (they usually call the Godaime 'Fifth Generation', which is technically right, but sounds really, really stupid) I have to rely on internet sources (mostly Wiki) for the Japanese and english terms…**

**And I like stories where Sakura finally gets something special, too. I mean, it's so unfair in the manga; everyone around her has something either inherited or given to them by chance, _especially_ in team 7. Even Ino has that scary mind jutsu thing of hers…**

**The lyrics at the beginning are from the song 'A dangerous mind' by Within Temptation and the quip about Wonder boy 'turning his hand into a maraca', as well as the 'stop being snotty' line are quotes from the TV show MASH (one of my favourites). I couldn't resist, they just fit so beautifully here and I just love having people mock the littlest Uchiha… **

**I apologize for the lengthy author's note, but I just wanted to clear all those things up, before y'all get out the torches and pitchforks…**


	4. Follies of the LivingConcerns of the De

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 04

**Follies of the Living – Concerns of the Dead

* * *

**

_The winter here's cold, and bitter  
It's chilled us to the bone  
We haven't seen the sun for weeks  
Too long too far from home_

_I feel just like I'm sinking  
And I claw for solid ground  
I'm pulled down by the undertow  
I never thought I could feel so low_

_Oh darkness I feel like letting go_

_If all of the strength and all of the courage  
Come and lift me from this place  
I know I could love you much better than this  
Full of grace

* * *

_

Haruno Sakura hadn't slept last night …again. This was quickly becoming a bad habit and she vowed to shut herself into her apartment for at least two weeks to do nothing but sleep, eat and catch up on her favourite TV shows – as soon as the hearing was over, of course.

However this time her insomnia had been caused by inner turmoil rather than her inability to give up working in favour of sleep or food, which was another bad habit that went hand in hand with her coffee addiction…

Grabbing a quick breakfast in the hospital mess that consisted of coffee and a bagel, she reluctantly made her way to the more deserted part of the building to check on her two high priority patients. Now that Sasuke was awake, she'd actually have to put up with his moods and she feared it would be more than her sleep deprived brain could take at the moment.

_A cantankerous Uchiha with a grudge and a short fuse – **Oh Joy**! And it was barely six in the morning…_

Hopefully he'd have cooled down a bit after yesterday's melodramatics and would simply give her the silent treatment. She could live with that – actually, it would be a lot better than having him open his mouth at all. She was definitely not in the right state of mind to deal with his insults, which were usually quite colourful, especially after he had a _whole night_ to pick the best. And she didn't fancy tainting her flawless record with a reprimand for 'violence against a patient'.

Mentally crossing her fingers and praying for his silence, she took a breakfast tray from the cart in the hallway and put on her brightest smile. She would go in there, check his vitals, give him his food and get out as fast as possible. She had other things to do after all…

She opened the door and said a cheerful "Ohayo", which went ignored by the wide awake man in the bed and unnoticed by the sleeping man in the chair. Thank god for Naruto, he could play mediator should it become necessary.

"Here's your breakfast, Sasuke. I'm just gonna check your vitals and then I'll be out of your hair."

No answer, not that she'd expected one. So silent treatment it was, _Thank you kami-sama_!

She looked over the read-outs of his heart monitor, rather than taking his pulse the old-fashioned way, because with him, less physical contact meant better chances of coming out of this with her limbs intact. But some things had to be checked through actual contact with the patient and she slowly put her chakra-filled hand to his forehead. No signs of fever and his brain activity seemed normal, _good_. She quickly stepped back from the bed and made notes on his chart.

"How's the headache?"

"Fine"

She sighed; _couldn't he just act like a normal person – just this once – **the stubborn mule**?_

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

_That fucking scale only goes to ten?_ He was irritated with her, but the old drunk's threat of restraints was still clear in his mind and he kept himself in line.

"Zero"

"Try again, tough guy!" Now she was getting impatient, she did have other things to do and they concerned _his_ future. His answer was a glare and she clenched her fist, nearly breaking the clipboard in half.

"Fine, I'll take you of the pain meds then. After all, you're a big, tough _man_ now, you can take it!"

With that she took of his catheter and sealed the puncture wound, finally fed up with his attitude. They'd only administered the painkillers in hopes of lessening the headache anyway, as his other injuries were superficial. But since the meds didn't appear to work, there was no point to further treat him with them. Still, no need for him to know that…

"Shizune will bring your lunch later; I have better things to do than talking to a mentally deficient baboon!" She went over to the chair and shook the still sleeping Naruto awake none too softly.

"Sakura-chan?" He asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "What time's it?"

"It's just after six, Naruto. Look, I have to go; could you do me a favour?"

"Sure," he replied enthusiastically, anything for Sakura-chan. "What is it?"

"Make sure _he_," she pointed with her thumb over her shoulder at the ungrateful prick, "eats his meals, I have neither the time nor the patience to put him on a gavage…"

Naruto nodded and she thanked him with a soft pat on the shoulder, leaving the room quickly afterwards.

Now to see to her other problem child.

She'd never thought it possible, but the older Uchiha was actually a lot more polite than his grumpy little brother – and a far more accostable patient. Arming herself with another breakfast tray, she opened the door opposite Sasuke's. Unsurprisingly, the scene in this room was a complete reverse of the first one. The man occupying the bed was still asleep, while the one in the chair was wide awake. _And already reading his disgusting book at this time of the morning, the pervert!_

"Don't you have a home?" She asked him in a low, but stern voice.

"I was waiting for you anyway, so I thought, I might as well wait here." He didn't take his eye of the orange book as he spoke to her and Sakura felt like whacking him, but held herself back until after they left the hospital. No use making a scene in a patient's room.

She went to the bed to check over the read-outs, making a few notes on Itachi's chart. Everything was progressing okay, well physically. Mentally was a completely different story, but there was nothing she could do about that. He'd have to work on that himself and, god willing, maybe even with the help of his brother…

"Should we wake him?"

"No, Kakashi-sempai; let him sleep. I have a feeling he hasn't done a lot of that over the past decade. I'll just leave his breakfast here and we can go."

As they quietly left the room, she couldn't help but wonder about her old sensei's actions. She'd found him sitting with Itachi more than once over the last few days, sometimes talking with the other man, sometimes just silently reading his book, while Itachi slept. Was it just to keep an eye on a prisoner or did this all have a deeper meaning?

"You didn't sleep again, did you?" _Damn him for being so observant._ She'd done her best to cover the dark half-moons under her eyes with make up this morning, but apparently, it hadn't been enough to fool the man. He always called her out on her shit and, as always, she felt a little shamed by it.

She answered him by looking down and he put his arm around her shoulder to soften his reprimand. He had become something of a big brother over the years and she still wanted his approval, as ridiculous as that may be. He'd told her already long ago that he was proud of her, more so than even Naruto, for she had surpassed himself and even the Hokage without the help (or the chakra) of the demon fox.

They were walking through the deserted Konoha streets in silence. The citizens were usually still asleep or sitting over breakfast this early in the morning and the whole village seemed more peaceful than any other time of the day. She loved the early mornings and would often use this time to take a run. Today however, they were on their way to the Uchiha premises and the silence felt overbearing.

As he led her to a part of Konoha that was scarcely visited anymore, she felt dread settle in her stomach. She didn't know what might exist behind the dark gate looming just at the end of the street. She'd seen it often on her runs, sometimes even taken this route on purpose, unable to quell her curiosity, only to walk away again with quick strides. She'd never set foot behind it, choosing rather to let sleeping dogs lie. But today there was no turning around and she silently admitted to herself that there was a part of her that was afraid of what she might find on the other side.

She was a scientist and had never believed in ghost stories, even though some of the things she saw on missions were hard to explain and even harder to believe without having been there. But most of the time there was a logical explanation to be found and she was usually the one to find them. Excluding the tailed-beasts and various other 'mythical' beings they'd encountered over the years, she remained sceptical wherever the whispered words of '_legends'_ and '_other-worldly beings'_ were concerned.

But the rumours circling in Konoha of the '_cursed'_ grounds, where the '_forsaken'_ Uchihas used to live made her skin crawl. There was no reason to believe in any of it; _the premises was not cursed and Sasuke's live was not forsaken_, she told herself, but still she felt the unease in her gut and didn't know how to quell it.

Kakashi let go of his former student and pushed the wooden gate open. The wards had been taken of years ago by himself and the two resident sannin, since the premises had gone into the hands of the council after Sasuke's defection. For months they'd fought over it's fate and had never come to a mutual consent. Some thought it best to leave it alone in the vain hope of Sasuke's return, others had wanted it to be knocked down and the remains burned as a sign of dissociation from the whole mess (and also as a lesson for the traitor, though no one had ever said it aloud) and again others had wanted to turn it into a memorial for the departed clan as a form of closure. In the end the clan leaders had taken over and decided to honour their late friend Fugaku by not going through his clan's personal belongings and leaving everything untouched.

Putting a hand on the small of Sakura's back, he gently pushed her over the threshold and steered her down an overgrown path towards the main house. He could feel the mixture of curiosity, dread and uneasy excitement radiating from her and wished he could lift her spirits somehow. But there was nothing to say, the whole area was so still, not even the air was moving and he found himself a little troubled as well.

It had been years since he'd last stepped foot onto these grounds and then it had only been to quickly scout out the premises after a few passers-by had reported strange noises behind the fence. It turned out that the sounds had come from a she-bear with her two young that had taken up residence in one of the more ruinous buildings. He'd left them to it, feeling that any live was better than the graveyard it had been before, but made a few safeguards on the better preserved houses to keep them from becoming hostels too.

The main house was a large two-storey with a wide open patio and, although it had been deserted for over a decade now, Sakura could still imagine the people going about their daily routines as she took it all in. Like ghosts they hushed through the picture, faded and grey, and goose bumps grew all over her arms. She looked at Kakashi with wide eyes, but he pushed her forward still, into the house. He wouldn't let her give up now, she knew that and resented him a little for it. She didn't want to be here, they were intruders and the buildings around her seemed bleak and foreboding.

He led her through poorly lit hallways and up a flight of stairs until they stood before tall double doors made of oak – the official Archives of the Uchiha Clan. The visit was purely cursory, she wouldn't find anything here and she knew that – they wouldn't have left the darkest secrets of the Sharingan out in the open like this. So she gave the rows of books, scrolls and artefacts a short look-through and asked Kakashi to bring her to the hidden library.

The walk was long and the silence of the area became unbearable as they passed by the smaller houses of the other clan members. Some were mere ruins, while others still held a certain glimmer of their past splendour, but in the end they were all empty and broken – _so much like the two young men who inherited them. _

Sakura couldn't take it anymore…

"How…," her voice was hoarse and her mouth dry, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "How far is it?"

"Just across the training grounds at the end of this street." Her old sensei spoke in a calm reassuring tone, that she often heard him use when he was working with the academy students.

He'd taken to spending his free time helping out at the academy, after Iruka had come back from a mission more dead then alive, eight months prior. Naruto's surrogate father was still recuperating and had to cut down his schedule to a few theoretical lessons only. Hinata had taken over most of his other lessons additionally to her own, but she was still busy preparing to become clan leader. So most of the Jounin, especially those who've already had a genin team in the past, helped out whenever there was need.

But Sakura had the suspicion that it was not only the will to help driving Kakashi's sudden dedication to children, but also the ticking of his own biological clock. Sometimes, when the students came to him for advice, there was a light in his eye that fascinated and delighted her, because he so scarcely showed interest in anything other than his beloved _Icha_ _Icha_. She knew he wasn't getting any younger and at the age of thirty-three most of his contemporaries had already settled down with a wife and children. Even Might Guy had found himself a steady girlfriend, which was a rather frightening thought since she also seemed to favour green spandex. The pair made quite the picture.

Not so Kakashi however and, although she'd come to know her old sensei as a ladies' man over the years, she had only seldom seen him with one particular woman at his side, but she dearly wished he would find someone who could put up with his various spleens…

Desperate for conversation to get her mind off of her surroundings and back onto her investigation, she tried again.

"How do you even know where to find the library? I mean, it isn't called hidden for nothing, right?"

"Fugaku-sama showed me."

"Really? Why? I always thought the clan didn't like you very much, because of, you know," she pointed towards her left eye awkwardly, "Obito…"

"Actually, they hated me." Apparently he found this amusing, if the cheer in his voice was any indication. "At least most of them did. They thought me a thief for taking the Sharingan without the clan leader's approval…"

"Well, that would have been kind of difficult. I doubt the eye could have been preserved long enough for them to decide whether to give it to you or not. And it _was_ Obito's wish for you to have it."

"Yes, it was. And that was the reason I agreed to take it in the first place. But to the clan it wasn't that simple. A clan's kekkei genkai and their special techniques are treasures to them, you should know that…"

"Yeah, I know." She nodded, encouraging him to go on. "So, how come Fugaku changed his mind?"

"After the Kyubi attack, he asked me for an informal meeting in the main house. Back then, that was a great honour for me. I'd only ever been here once before that, at Obito's funeral and even then they would only let me in after a long argument with sensei." He sighed and his gaze drifted towards a well-preserved house on their far left. He pointed at it and explained: "That one was his home. Rin and I stayed with his parents after the service and tried to explain his last wish. They didn't only resent me, you know, but her as well for performing the transplant. It was a disaster and in the end they threw us out."

They'd stopped to gaze at Obito's desolate home and Sakura could see the far away look in his eyes. She hadn't meant for him to relive these grieve memories and felt the need to pull him away from them and the grim house. So she took him by the hand and gave a little tug, then another, until he started walking again.

"So, what did Fugaku want from you?" She carried on his former explanation, hoping to get him to continue his story.

"Ah, yes. Apparently, he had noticed my contribution during the attack and that I had full control over the Sharingan, although I still suspect the push to actually talk to me came from Mikoto-sama. She was good friends with Rin and didn't take it very well, when we were shunned."

"Why would she try to push him, though? I mean, he was the clan leader and if Sasuke's demeanour is anything to go by, he must've been pretty …strict, I guess."_ The woman must've been braver than all the men in her clan taken together to stand up to her clan leader like that, even if he was her husband…_

"Oh, I do believe our dear Sasuke-kun would be _very_ surprised by how much power and influence the Uchiha matriarch wielded. _Especially_ over his father…" He chuckled at the thought and Sakura stared at him suspiciously. There was more to this little titbit than he let on, she would bet on it, but doubted that he would tell her more if she asked. So she let him of the hook for now, vowing to bring this up later.

"Anyway, she thought they were being ridiculous, alienating someone as strong as me over a formality and that they should at least honour the will of their dead relative. So, in the end, Fugaku-sama invited me here." His voice took on a more serious note as he continued. "He asked me a lot of questions about the way my Sharingan had evolved since I had it, why I accepted it in the first place and about my intentions to use it. You know, the things I wanted to protect, not only Konoha in general, but the people around me and why. It was more of an interrogation than an actual conversation, but in the end he seemed satisfied with my answers and told me that I had his official approval as clan leader. He decreed that I was to be treated as a friend of the clan and that if anyone in the clan spoke ill to me, they would have to answer to him."

"He seems like a fair man…"

"He was, but he was also a very clever one. Right before I turned to leave, he announced to me, that if I wanted to, I could become an honorary clan member and even was allowed to take on the Uchiha name."

"That's incredible! I've never heard of a clan accepting an outsider into their ranks unless through marriage. That must've been a first in history…"

"It was! And naturally, I declined the offer."

"You _what_?" Now, that wouldn't have gone over too well with most of the clan leaders she had encountered in her life. To refuse such an honour would be taken as a terrible insult to the clan's name and standing in general.

"I explained to him that it was Obito, who taught me that my father was a hero and not a failure and that I had learned my lesson about my father's sacrifice. I told him I was proud to be known as the son of Konoha's White Fang and that nothing would ever change that."

"But wasn't he offended?"

"On the contrary, he was impressed. You see, it was a trick question, a test if you will, about my loyalty to my name and heritage. Because, in essence, that is what a clan is all about – their heritage and the loyalty between them." He paused, trying to find a way to explain it better.

"Many would jump at the chance to become a part of a prestigious clan like the Uchihas and had I done so, they would have surly taken back the Sharingan by force and shunned me. But since I was true to my roots and refused to give up my family's name for a _'better'_ one, I passed the test and was welcomed. I told you, he was a clever man…"

They'd arrived in the training grounds by now and Sakura could only nod her head in agreement, too stunned by the open space in front of her to talk. Before them lay a field nearly as big as Konoha Park and, although it was mostly overgrown, there were still some training dummies visible at the edges, pierced with Kunai. After a few steps she felt her foot connect with something solid instead of the soft grass and looked down to find herself standing on a shuriken. She picked it up and marvelled at the craftsmanship, for even after all these years out in the elements it barely held a scratch. Doing a slow pirouette she revelled in the peace and quiet the field emitted and absentmindedly twirled the shuriken in her fingers. _The fight is over_, the grass around her seemed to whisper and she hoped it was right…

But Kakashi went on as if there was nothing special to be found and she had to hurry to catch up with him. His story wasn't finished yet and she gave him a slight nudge with her elbow to prompt him to carry on.

"And then he showed you the library?"

"And then he showed me the library, so I could explore the Sharingan and it's history. In there he had me swear an oath to honour the gift given to me and to keep the secrets of the Sharingan as well as those of the clan and take them to the grave with me. But since you have permission to come here, I'm not really breaking that oath. Someone had to show you after all…" He was smiling at her, she could tell by the creases around his right eye.

At the edge of the training area stood several old gingko trees that formed a kind of alcove, with two cherry trees building a doorway into a grove. Inside everything was shaded by the overhanging branches and the rampant weeds, but it didn't take away from the beauty of it all. In the centre lay a shallow pond filled with lotus and beyond that a small shrine, overgrown and barely determinable through the grass. Kakashi led her beyond the shrine to a large boulder covered with moss and grime, next to which he crouched down.

"Let's see…" He murmured as he wiped away the dead leafs and peeled off the moss from the stone. "Ah, here it is."

When he was finished cleaning part of the boulder, Sakura could make out fine lines carved into the surface that connected to five different runes arranged around the Uchiha clan symbol, the paper fan. They had withered away over time but were still mostly distinguishable.

"Prosperity, responsibility, pride, proficiency and bravery." Kakashi pointed at each, naming them, for which she was grateful, since the runes were of an old fashion she had never seen before and she couldn't recognise any of them.

"The ward is set to only admit people who possess the Sharingan," he explained and covered his right eye with his hitai-ate, uncovering Obito's eye in the process. Gathering his blue chakra into his fingertips, he touched the runes lightly in a seemingly random sequence, while concentrating his red eye on the fan. At his touch the runes began to glow light blue and as he leaned back, formerly invisible lines lightened up, running towards the fan in the centre. The fan lit up at last and immediately the boulder seemed to melt soundlessly into the ground right in front of them, leaving behind a rectangular opening to a staircase carved out of marble. The steps descended into darkness and the fact that she couldn't see the bottom made Sakura a little queasy.

Kakashi silently began to climb down and she followed a few moments later. The descent seemed endless as the darkness closed in around her, but she kept on and was rewarded with the sight of Kakashi's glowing chakra illuminating his hand like a torch. He was a few steps ahead and in the dim light she could see he had reached the bottom and seemed to be pressing his chakra-filled hand to the right wall of the corridor that lay before them. The chakra illuminated a wall panel and torches came to life along the walls, chasing away the thick blackness around them and brightening the corridor. She didn't get a chance to take in the whole picture before her, because he swiftly started walking again, leading her further inside. In the bluish light of the torches she could make out carvings and reliefs covering the walls and ran her hand over some of them, too awed to really comprehend the depicted scenes.

At last they came to a high doorway framed by two huge tigers carved out of black marble, sitting on their hind legs and silently guarding the room beyond. The room itself was more than thrice as high as the corridor and Sakura guessed it to be big enough to house the Konoha Archive and the Forbidden Scroll room taken together. The walls were lined with ceiling-high shelves brimming with old leather-bound books and loose piles of parchment. Here and there were artefacts and weapons carefully laid out on stands and chests of varying sizes were strewn throughout. A landing was accessible through a small staircase on the far wall and a few ladders were attached to the shelves to reach the treasures stored in the highest rows. In the middle of the room stood two antique oak tables with empty, silver candleholders on top and matching chairs beside them.

Sakura stood open-mouthed on the threshold, committing everything to memory in the dusky glow of the torches, while Kakashi went over to one of the chests and retrieved a few candles from it. He sat down at the table and lit the candles, his dirty book already in hand. Sakura shook herself out of her stupor and walked over to him, craning her neck to get a better look at the shelves on the landing.

"Well, eat your heart out, Dorothy. A bookworm like you should feel right at home here. I'll just sit here and…" he trailed of, waving his book in the air.

"Gee thanks, ol' scarecrow." She rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the walls, despair gripping her heart. "It'll take me decades to go through all this. I'll never find what we need in time for the hearing!"

He didn't comment on this, seemingly already lost in Jiraiya's world of make-believe…

Shaking her head at his phlegmatic demeanour, she made her way up the stairs onto the landing and began browsing the writing on the book spines, still twirling the shuriken between her fingers.

"You know," she heard Kakashi begin again in a far too casual tone, but panic had settled in and she paid him little attention, "you never asked me."

"Asked you what, old man?" She replied absentmindedly.

"Who I killed to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan…"

* * *

**A/N: So, this chapter is shorter than the last and mostly for information. At first I wanted to put the whole rest of the week leading up to the trial into one chapter, but then I had written about half of this and realized I was still just describing one day. And since I didn't want this chapter to turn into a behemoth of over thirty pages, I split it up into two separate chapters. While this relies mostly on description and throws up even more questions, I'm trying to make the second part more answer-driven and with a different format. It will consist of shorter scenes between the characters giving a view of what they were up to in these days. Hopefully I will have it out sooner than this one. I'm sorry I took a while to update, but the above mentioned problem caused me to procrastinate a little…**

**The lyrics at the beginning are from the song 'Full of Grace' by Sarah McLachlan, I think it aptly describes Sakura's feelings while walking through the ghost town that is the Uchiha clan premises.**

**As always thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Thank you so much Archerelf, moodiful819, honouring death, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, gaarafaves, fantasy4luvr, Laura-chan, Tamiko-Chan81, ViOlEt-KAt and bloodredflowers!**

**Archerelf: That… was kinda the point…**

**honoring death: Don't worry about it, before I looked it up I always spelled it "Kyubii"…**

**And this time brownie points go to everyone who can tell, why I choose tigers as the guardians for the library. Why not for example lions or baboons (as Sasuke is always so dead set on acting like one)…**

**I hope you liked it, please read and review.**

**See you next time**


	5. Forever in a day

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 05

**Forever in a Day

* * *

**

_Mit einem Dach und seinem Schatten dreht_  
_Sich eine kleine Weile der Bestand_  
_Von bunten Pferden, alle aus dem Land,_  
_Das lange zögert, eh es untergeht._  
_Zwar manche sind an Wagen angespannt,_  
_Doch alle haben Mut in ihren Mienen;_  
_Ein böser roter Löwe geht mit ihnen_  
_Und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant._

_Sogar ein Hirsch ist da, ganz wie im Wald,_  
_Nur dass er einen Sattel trägt und drüber_  
_Ein kleines blaues Mädchen aufgeschnallt._  
_Und auf dem Löwen reitet weiß ein Junge_  
_Und hält sich mit der kleinen heißen Hand,_  
_Dieweil der Löwe Zähne zeigt und Zunge._

_Und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant._

_Und auf den Pferden kommen sie vorüber,_  
_Auch Mädchen, helle, diesem Pferdesprunge_  
_Fast schon entwachsen; mitten in dem Schwunge_  
_Schauen sie auf, irgendwohin, herüber - ._

_Und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant._

_Und das geht hin und eilt sich, dass es endet,_  
_Und kreist und dreht sich nur und hat kein Ziel._  
_Ein Rot, ein Grün, ein Grau vorbeigesendet,_  
_Ein kleines kaum begonnenes Profil - ._  
_Und manchesmal ein lächeln, hergewendet,_  
_Ein seliges, das blendet und verschwendet_  
_An dieses atemlose blinde Spiel ...

* * *

_

Wednesday morning found Sakura back in the deserted hallway connecting the two rooms of the Uchiha brothers. She'd already brought the younger one his meal and made sure Naruto was there to force feed him if needed. Like the day before, Sasuke had stayed silent and, this time, so had she – she wasn't ready to talk to him yet, as she was still busy trying to decipher the various texts she'd found and cross reference them with each other and with Kakashi's retelling of his own experience.

To say she'd been shocked when he brought it up would be a gross understatement. Before, they'd always pussyfooted around the topic of his Sharingan evolution – Naruto and she had known what Itachi had done to gain the Mangekyo and hadn't been willing to connect such a deed with their trusted sensei – and treated it's existence as a given fact and nothing more.

But now she could see the mistake in that – had they known his story all along, they might have decided to explore the history of the Uchihas sooner and this whole mess would have been solved long ago. The events leading to the evolution had been burdening Kakashi ever since they had occurred and she could tell he was glad to finally tell her, even though she had only listened reluctantly.

_She needed to know_, he'd insisted, and he was right. It all made so much more sense now, the only thing missing were details of the historical background and Itachi's point of view. And now she had both in her grasp. The library was brimming with texts, journals and records of contemporary witnesses, dating back more than half a millennium before Konoha was founded. It would take her a while to map out the oldest writings, as they had suffered at the hands of time and the ink was too faded to discern the words in some places, but she would manage.

But for all her work, she knew, in the end it would be mostly Kakashi's report that would sway the council. He was a trusted member of the community and his word held a lot of weight, for civilians and shinobi alike. His experience would deflate anyone's plans for Itachi's execution.

"_For months after he left I couldn't think of anything else but to get stronger, to finish his revenge, so he'd come home. And it all escalated on a mission to Suna."_

"_It felt like a trance or a dream, or better yet, a nightmare. I wasn't even aware that I was holding someone's life in my hands, the feeling of absolute power was so strong. I thought I needed that power to make up for failing the three of you and to bring him back."_

"_I ended up hurting someone who means a lot to me and she still hasn't forgiven me for it. And I can't even explain to her why I nearly killed her for some stupid joke she made…"_

Itachi was awake this morning and she smiled softly at him. He'd been rather shy and a little stiff since he woke up in the hospital, unsure how to cope with so much human contact after so long.

"Ohayo, Haruno-san."

"Please, Itachi, Haruno-san was my father. Just call me Sakura."

"Oh… okay." He gave her an embarrassed smile and she felt bad for correcting him, he was trying so hard not to do anything wrong and seemed so easily chastised.

She brought over the tray, gave him a reassuring smile and sat in the chair that was, for once, not occupied by the copy-nin.

"Itachi, Tsunade-shishou thinks it might be best if someone commissioned by the council verifies my statements about the things I saw when I… uhh, was in your mind." She cringed a little, this wasn't your everyday topic of conversation and she hadn't brought the incident up this boldly until now.

"How would this someone do that?"

"Well, the Yamanaka family specialises in mind connecting jutsu and has already done similar services for the council before, when witness statements were contradicting for example." She could see the distrust in his eyes; he'd spent so much time unable to control his own body and mind, that he'd become leery of the world around him. She tried to abate his fears. "I would have to go through the same process. And the person performing the jutsu would be Inoichi-san; he's the father of my best friend and a very fair man. He wouldn't use this technique for anything other than to watch a replay of the events through our eyes."

"You're willing to do this?"

"Yes. It's a very simple procedure really, we'll be anaesthetised to prevent our minds from tempering with the memories or shutting his mind out, and Inoichi-san will perform the jutsu. It won't even last very long. And I can have it arranged, that you'll be able to watch when he's viewing my recount. You can decide after that…"

"Sakura-san, I don't really care anymore what the council decides or what they'll do with me, but…" He paused and finally looked her straight in the eye. "I want my brother to know the truth."

"He will, I'll make him listen, whether he wants to or not!"

"Don't blame him – he has a right to hate me…" He looked down at his fidgeting hands and his quiet voice was filled with sorrow and shame, but it only strengthened her resolve to help him.

"No, he hasn't, not without all the facts!"

"_There was so much hate; towards Itachi, towards myself and even towards Sasuke for leaving us behind. For leaving **you**. And it seemed to intensify with every passing day, building on itself. It was eating away everything else, until there was nothing left but all-consuming **hatred** that wasn't directed at anything at all."_

"_The nightmares were the worst. They got bloodier and more violent, the more they occurred. At first I would just see myself killing a missing-nin, like any other assassination assignment. But over the months they became more personal. I would see Itachi's face up close and want to wipe that smugness from his eyes with everything I had. The more blood I would draw from him, the more I would enjoy it. Sometimes his face would turn into that of Sasuke and the fight would be even more ferocious. In the end I didn't only kill them, Sakura, I slaughtered them. And I saw myself laughing while I was doing it."_

"_I saw the fear in here eyes when I… when I attacked her. She trusted me and I was about to kill her. I never thought I could be capable of this. Sakura, I was scared of myself!"_

Kakashi had asked her to train with him, so they could test her new 'ability', whatever it was; she hadn't really had time to give it much thought until now. So here she was, waiting in the afternoon sun for him to show up – some things just never changed. But this time she'd brought along one of the journals to pass the time.

It was bound in red leather with the Uchiha crest embossed in black on the front. From the given dates she'd deduced it to be about three-hundred years old, but the pages were still well-preserved – she supposed the somewhat constant temperature and humidity in the library had had a hand in keeping most of the paper inside from rotting.

It contained the records of roughly a year; birth dates, death notices, ranks and occupations of every clan member and even day to day business, if it had been deemed important enough. The author was a man named Uchiha no Fuhito who was the official scrivener (or notary) of the clan and caretaker of the library at the time; an important function that was still held in high regards by the clans today.

A book for every year, all bound in red leather, all embossed with the paper fan. They were so much more then simple records – glimpses into lives long gone, stories of times forgotten and answers that were very much needed now. She'd also found the last book, containing that fateful year everything fell apart. Barely half of the pages were filled and the last entry was unfinished. She'd left it in her office, locked into her desk drawer, until she was ready to open this proverbial Pandora's Box.

_Hideaki has finally reached his full Sharingan at the age of eleven, but I fear this early development may lead to his downfall. He is but a child and yet he has already become obsessed with perfection. He has begun to ask me about the true powers of our gift with earnest fascination. Yet I dare not encourage him in his quest, for the old tales and records, I have discovered in the heart of the library, speak of an ancient evil beyond description. _

_They tell of a trial of faith and heart and innermost strength, discovered by our forefathers on their hunt for the absolute crest of the Sharingan. Cursed by the gods for their thirst for power and yet saved in the same breath, they call our family in the records. Forever bound by the abomination they have awoken…_

"Yo!"

Surprised Sakura looked up from her reading to see Kakashi making his way over the old bridge, accompanied by a mischievously smiling Jiraiya.

_Uh oh!_ Ero-sannin's smile was always a bad omen, especially for the walls and furniture of Tsunade-shishou's office. She would probably have to pay her sensei a visit later and either try to calm her down or pry the sake from her hands, depending on just how degenerated Jiraiya's plans for the afternoon were.

"You ready?"

"I've been ready for," she looked at her watch, "two hours and seven minutes. _Where_ were you and why was _he_ there with you?" She pointed at the sannin and the smile slipped of the old man's face as he took a step back from her.

Aside from her healing touch, the apprentice of his old team mate had also inherited the blonde's strength and, more importantly, her temper. Even after decades of bearing the brunt of it, he still wasn't immune to the fear induced by both those attributes combined. And Sakura was even scarier, since she had no apparent qualms to cause him pain, whereas Tsunade still had a tiny bit of respect and affection for her friend and at least always gave him fair warning.

"I'll just… uh, bye!" And with a poof and a deep sigh of relieve he fled.

Kakashi just scratched the back of his head and stayed silent, he knew better than to tell her _anything_ that could (and would) be used against him. He'd already gotten carried away two days ago and knew she would bring up everything _personal_ once the hearing was over and she had time to squeeze the details out of him.

"Fine, keep it to yourself then. It's probably better for my peace of mind anyway."

"Right." He told her with a cheery voice and tousled her hair playfully.

She pushed his hand away from her head and bent down to put the book into her bag and pull on her gloves.

"Did you actually make some kind of plan for this training or are you winging it, as usual?"

"Are you implying that I'm not a good teacher?"

She grinned at him, but kept quiet.

"Cheeky little minx…" He mumbled under his breath and glared at her, folding his arms over his chest like a petulant child. "I'll have you know, that I already have a theory and have devised some exercises. Now get warmed up so we can start!"

She did as told, but chuckled all the way through her stretching – for someone who could keep his deadpan attitude through hopeless battles and even when watching his future Hokage running around in teddy-bear pyjamas, he sure as hell was easily flustered as long as you knew which buttons to press.

"Okay. Can you activate it at will?"

"Yes." Her eyes turned with a blink and her vision sharpened. She didn't know yet how to describe the change, but her whole body seemed even more alert than usual and her senses more defined.

"Good. Let's try something." He moved his hitai-ate until his right eye was covered and the Sharingan was visible, and took a defensive stance. "Attack me!"

Pumping chakra into her legs and into her right fist, she sprinted towards him to deal a full frontal blow. It was a simple move and she expected it to be blocked, she just wanted to start of easy. But he didn't block it, he didn't even move…

At the last moment she realised he wasn't playing, that the expectant look on his face hadn't changed and he seemed slightly bewildered. She pulled her punch, but still nicked him a bit and he was thrown a few feet back, skidding in the dirt.

"**Why the fuck didn't you defend yourself?**" She screamed at him, worried. It wasn't like him to let his guards down. "**I could've taken your head off!**"

"Because I couldn't see you move…"

"What?"

_But there is also mention a being given into this world as a counter-weight. Born into the body of a mortal, It is the soul of an eternal spirit, the nemesis of this abomination, they say. Called upon by those who first brought the shame over our house, It prophesised us a never-ending struggle on a thin line between glory and hell._

_It is to be born again, to oppose those of us lacking the strength to pass the test, but I have yet to find anything more substantial about It's abilities or even It's name…_

"I _didn't_ see you move, even with the Sharingan. You were just standing over there…"

She was speechless, she'd never been able to really surprise Kakashi when he uncovered his Sharingan; after all, that was the true power of the Copy Wheel Eye, seeing your opponent's move before they even know it themselves. She'd usually found other ways to trick him, using his weaknesses against him, but for him to not be able to detect a full frontal blow was absurd.

"Let's try something else." He was picking himself up and she could see his genius mind working overtime, as a calculating look came over his eye. No matter how much he liked to play his dumb soldier-act, she knew he was anything but.

"Perform one of your medical jutsu and I'll try to copy it with the Sharingan." She hesitated and threw him a suspicious look. "Come on, I don't have the chakra control to use them anyway, it doesn't matter whether I know how to perform it or not…"

"Where are you going with this?"

"Just testing a theory."

"Fine." She walked a few feet away and performed the necessary hand seals slowly, facing him, so her hands were in clear view. "Shosen jutsu."

After a minute or two she cancelled the jutsu and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Nothing, I couldn't even see your hands move. Let's do this again, without the Sharingan."

He covered Obito and she made the seals again.

"I saw your hands just like always…"

"So, this theory of yours?" She prompted him.

"It negates the Sharingan!" He seemed excited and his, now visible again, natural eye almost sparkled with delight. "And maybe even the Byakugan, since they are related. We'd have to ask Hinata or Neji to try it out."

"You mean, if I were to punch Sasuke's lights out, he wouldn't even see it coming?" There was a beautiful smirk on her face that filled Kakashi with pride and even a little fear. _Oh, the littlest Uchiha was in for it now…_

"This combined with your strength and tactical mind? He wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell." Chuckling, he put his arm around her shoulders as they walked back into town and gave her a little squeeze, as he proclaimed: "**All hail Dorothy!**"

_Hideaki has approached me again today. He has heard whispers amongst the old folk of an unimaginable power that lies within the final evolution of the Sharingan. Now he has asked me to show him the records in hopes of discovering the key to achieving it. _

_I am undecided however. Upon further inspection of the rumours, I have come to know that the gabbers will not even speak the name of this 'power', for they fear it. And yet they yap about it in the presence of an innocent child. _

_But Hideaki has changed these last few days and is no longer the bright and untroubled youngling I have known; instead he has taken to brooding and shutting himself away from the rest of us. Like a disease of the mind this obsession has taken a hold of him. Is he one of the few of this generation to be tested, as the records say, and would he be able to overcome this challenge? His demeanour as of late does not fill me with hope._

_I fear he is already lost to us._

"Sakura-san, I… may I ask you for a favour?"

Of course, Itachi." She'd just brought him a few books to pass the time and he had eagerly begun to sift through them.

"Would you cut my hair? It is… I think it is best to keep it short again. I don't want to wear this face anymore, I…" He trailed of.

"It's okay, I think I understand. Let me just get some scissors."

He was sitting at the edge of the bed and she kneeled behind him for better access.

"You know, during the first chunin exam we took, in the forest of death, I cut my hair, too. Back then it was out of necessity, someone had grabbed me by the hair and it was the best way to get free. But later on, I came to see it as more of a changing point in my life. For the first time I had to defend my team instead of being defended by them and my short hair was a sort of reminder of that. It was like showing the world that I had finally grown up and wasn't just a little girl anymore. I kept it short ever since as a sign of my independence and strength."

While she talked, he stayed quiet and listened intently. She really did understand his need to change his exterior, he realised and felt grateful for her help. He didn't want the world to see the monster he had been, but _him_, Uchiha Itachi, firstborn of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto, who loved his parents despite differing opinions.

"Thank you," he whispered and took one of her hands in his. It felt good to touch someone and not have that person flinch away.

"It's okay. I'm just happy I can help. "She gave his hand a little squeeze and he returned it. "Oh, I wanted to tell you, I'm planning on asking the council to allow me to heal your eyes, or at least try to heal them. I know it's not that bad yet, but they're most likely going to deteriorate even more. I can't make any promises that it will work, but hey, maybe we can fit you for some cool glasses."

Her smile was contagious and he couldn't help but smile back.

_Even in the old tales only one entry contains the name of this perfected Sharingan. 'The Kaleidoscope' the author calls it, but his wording makes me wonder as to whether he may not have been under it's spell himself. _

_The other scriveners, my predecessors, dare not mention this name for fear of repeating our ancestors mistakes and falling victim to it's power. They refer to it only as the 'downfall' of our existence, the 'Uchiha's Bane'!_

_They hoped to send it into nothingness by denying it's reality, but I do not share this hope. A curse cannot be broken by forgetting it exists. It will continue to haunt us and we are helpless against it's allure. Hideaki is proof of that…_

"Hey Sasuke. I've brought you something to pass the time."

Silence

_Stubborn mule!_

"Well, I doubt you've become an avid reader over the last few years," she was not giving up – she could be just as stubborn as he was. Plastering a smile onto her face, she continued. "But I thought you'll probably get bored. And it's a pretty good way to ignore Naruto; at least it always works for Kakashi…"

Still he was silent, but at least he was looking at her now. She rifled through her bag with one hand, looking for a book to show him.

"So, uh, I've brought some different genres, just in case. There's fantasy, and a thriller, uh, this one's pretty funny." She held up one of her favourites, 'Why Men Don't Have a Clue and Women Always Need More Shoes', and smiled at him.

He looked at the book and back to her, his face blank.

She looked at the book and blinked.

"Maybe that's not the right one for you. But there're a lot of others, so…" She gave him a hopeful smile and he had a hard time maintaining his cold indifference.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot." She pulled out a familiar, bright orange book and held it up. "Kakashi thought this one might interest you."

Glare

"See, I told him you'd react that way! But he insisted, so I brought it along anyway." She paused and looked at the book contemplatively.

"Maybe you can burn it," she mused, "that'd be pretty entertaining, huh?"

Slowly a smirk spread across his face and she smirked back schemingly, but he kept silent still and she grew awkward again. She set the bag on his bedside table and made a hasty retreat.

"So, uh yeah, I've gotta go, you know, patients, reports, things. Bye, and have fun."

_Our quest for the perfect Sharingan has led us to our doom. We have awoken a being that should not have been disturbed by mortal souls and it has taken Yorimoto after it tricked him into killing his wife. _

_After long and arduous conferences with the other clan heads, we have found a summoning jutsu to repay for what we have done. But I fear we are too late, our actions have incensed the gods and they will surly punish us. _

_Forgive us, oh our descendants, for we have brought this cursed fate over you. _

At the end of another training session, Sakura finally decided to ask her old sensei something that had been nagging her for a while.

"Kakashi, can I ask you something?" They were sitting in the shade of a maple tree and were eating a small lunch.

"Shoot."

"Why did you help me? When I saved Itachi's life, I mean. I know you went through something similar like he did, but you didn't know that before I went through all the journals. So why didn't you stop me from healing him?"

"Because I trust you." He paused. "And I always wondered why he did it. He was a bright kid and a good comrade, and suddenly he changed and became closed off. I never understood that and I wasn't gonna let him die without getting the answer."

"Thank you." He looked at her puzzled. "For believing in me."

"Always."

_Today Itachi made ANBU captain and we could not have been prouder of our prodigy. He will make a good leader one day, if only he can bring himself to find fulfilment in his clan's traditions. But such is the nature of youth, to find their own place away from the roots and bloom in their own colours. Fugaku-sama will accept that in time, once he remembers that he was not all that different when he was Itachi's age._

_Oh, how he wished to go with his friend Shinichi when the little delinquent set out to travel the shinobi countries on his own, away from his clan's influence. But his mother fell sick and he dared not leave her side. _

_Young Sasuke was the first to congratulate his brother, with so much affection and joy as I have not seen a long time. I look forward to the day he will come home with the same honour bestowed upon him._

"Ino, can I talk to you for a moment."

"Sure, forehead-girl, let's go to the back."

The backroom of the Yamanaka flower shop was flowing over with supplies and knick knacks and the two kunoichi had to shove aside some of it to empty a space on a crate to sit.

"Your father probably told you about the procedure he performed for the council?"

Ino nodded.

"I wanted to ask you to be one of the witnesses for my report."

"But I wasn't even there when they attacked. I was on a mission."

"I know, but I need your statement for something that happened a few years back. Do you remember our fight during our first chunin exams?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You used your Shintenshin no Jutsu to force me to forfeit?"

"You're not gonna hold that against me _now_, are you?"

"God no, as it turns out, that was actually a good thing. I need you to verify before the council what you saw in my mind. Or rather whom you saw…" Sakura looked at her friend imploringly.

"You mean your inner… whatever she was?"

"Exactly. And I'll tell you what she is during the hearing. I just need you to state that there was a second soul inside my body, nothing more. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course. But Sakura, as much as I like Sasuke, he's not exactly one of the good guys anymore… Are you sure you're doing the right thing defending them?"

"I hope so."

_Itachi has changed over the last few months, he has become even quieter then before and the fights with his father are more intense. I hope they will be able to see past their differences soon, but I fear there is more behind Itachi's behaviour than adolescent rebellion._

_He is not the only one growing more distant from the clan. Shisui has also been acting strangely as of late and the tension between him and Itachi seems palpable. I doubt they are still the young men we used to know, but I cannot guess as to why they have changed._

_I am planning to look for answers in the old records, maybe the old wife's tales about the dangers of the Sharingan do hold a grain of truth._

_I fear, I fear…_

"Shishou, I've completed my report for the council."

"Good. Are you ready to present it tomorrow?"

"As I'll ever be. I'm a little nervous actually."

"You'll be fine. You've never let me down so far. I'll read through your notes tonight, now go get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

…

"And Sakura?"

"Yes, Shishou?"

"Don't expect me to go easy on Wonder boy just because he's the friend of my favourite apprentice…" But her stern words were belied by the soft smile on her face.

_She was standing in the abandoned training grounds of the Uchiha premises, the grass reaching up to her knees was moving in the breeze. _

_The wind was picking up, steadily growing stronger, circling around the field, yet strangely she was left untouched by it's movements. _

_She was standing in the eye of the storm, alone, clad in a glowing gown of an ethereal white, the forgotten shuriken clutched in her right hand._

_And suddenly she was looking into eyes made of grass and cloud, framed by pink, silken locks, her own face staring straight back at her. _

"_The fight is over. We have won this war for now and the world is as it should be again." _

_Her own voice was whispering through the wind, even though it was not her talking._

"_Do not despair now! You cannot save them anymore…"_

_But she had to; she would give everything to help them, even her life!_

"…_for you already have!"_

_She blinked, surprised and the strange-eyed woman – that was, and yet was not her mirror – was gone. _

_The storm was still raging around her, flattening the grass, uprooting the training dummies and lifting them up._

_And then everything went still and she knew she was not alone anymore. _

_The grass withered around her, as if burned by the sunlight. The air was unmoving, the wind dead. _

_She turned and there was the man with eyes of blood and shadow, his face so familiar but deformed by a power unimaginable, his hair like black flames whirling around him._

"_You are victorious this time, Guardian, but the curse can not be broken!"_

_There was pain shooting through her hand and she looked down, clutching it with her other. The shuriken was melting into dark smoke, burning her skin, the waning blades drawing blood. She tried to throw it away, but it wouldn't leave her hand._

_He was laughing, a dark sound that crumbled mountains and the shuriken was almost gone, leaving her palm blackened and blistered._

"_I will rise again and lay waste to the world with the very hands you give into this life!"_

_Her hand, the pain, his dark voice, she fell to her knees and…_

She was sitting upright in her bed, sweating and clutching her hand even though the pain was gone. Her breathing was laboured and she couldn't quite catch her breath, the air was escaping her lungs as her heart beat out of tact in a wild rhythm made up of fear and panic.

She stared at her palm and hoped she was still dreaming when she saw her marred skin in the ghostly moonlight. She tried to blink away the image of a three-bladed pinwheel burned into her skin, but the brand still stood clear against her pale palm. The red mark started to fade slowly, melting into her hand until it was only a memory, leaving no traces behind.

She decided to ignore this new development for now; she was probably just imagining it anyway or maybe it was just a remnant of her strange dream that had been blended with reality by her muddled brain. Falling back onto her pillow, she grabbed her alarm clock and had to blink a few times before the numbers made sense.

Five hours and twenty-three minutes until the hearing was set to begin.

* * *

**A/N: So, I think it was a good thing that I split the chapter in two. Taken together with this one, the last chapter would have become far too long and this way, I could concentrate more on the dialogue in this one. I've left out most of the description where it wasn't needed and put it into little scenes instead of a big continuing one. I actually like this one…**

**A little explanation for the Italic parts: **

**- Everything in quotation marks is something Kakashi told her**

**- Everything without quotation marks is something she reads in the books and scrolls she found in the library, most of them are from Fuhito's book, but a few are from others**

**- The last part is of course a dream sequence**

**The poem at the beginning is 'Das Karussell' by Rainer Maria Rilke. It's about an old-fashioned carousel that's standing in the Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris. It's one of my favourites and I think the whole merry-go-round theme describes the reoccurrence of the Uchiha curse pretty well, because like the carousel the curse is a never ending cycle. The different animals can be seen as the different Uchihas who either beat the curse/passed the test (like Kakashi) or didn't (like Itachi) and in the poem the carousel is described and analysed from an outsider's PoV, as is the curse in this chapter by either Sakura or the Uchihas writing in the journals. For anyone who wants a translation, I put one up on my Profile. Since I couldn't find a good one on the net, I made one myself. It's not perfect, but I tried to make it as close to the original wording as possible…**

**Uchiha no Fuhito is not canon, I just invented him. I choose this outdated form of connecting surname and first name with no, because the journal dates back quite a few decades and in historical Japan this form was standard, especially in clans. It literally means 'Fuhito of the Uchihas'. Fuhito was not only a first name, but was also a means to refer to a scribe.**

**Hideaki is also a character invented by me, there's no record of him in the manga. I'm just using him as an example anyway. Hideaki translates to excellent and bright.**

**The same goes for Yorimoto, only I don't have a meaning for this name.**

**Shosen Jutsu: Mystical Palm Technique, the chakra scalpel of a medic nin**

**Shintenshin no Jutsu: Mind Body Switch Technique**

**As always thank you everyone for your reviews. Thank you honouring death, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, ViOlEt-KAt, LKarina, Valkyrie of the Rohirrim, Sana N, Sirona of Arabia, moodiful819 and kunoichi13.**

**Valkyrie: Yeah, I'm also always getting a little miffed when authors misspell the names of characters or just flat out give them random new names, because they don't know the right one. It isn't so hard to look something up on the net, is it? I'm always double-checking things like that, but maybe I'm just obsessive-compulsive that way… **

**honoring death: I thought of Gorillas, but unless duly provoked they are rather peaceful creatures, whereas baboons are pretty loud and hot tempered and they always show the world what big butts they have. So I thought they were a little more fitting for an ass like Sasuke…**

**So, I hope you like it. Please review.**

**See you next time.**


	6. The Devil You Know

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 06

**The Devil You Know

* * *

**

_Heaven bent to take my hand  
And lead me through the fire  
Be the long awaited answer  
To a long and painful fight_

_Truth be told I've tried my best  
But somewhere along the way  
I got caught up in all there was to offer  
And the cost was so much more than I could bear_

_Though I've tried, I've fallen  
I have sunk so low  
I've messed up better,  
I should know  
So don't come round here  
And tell me I told you so_

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was not someone to believe in omen, whether they be good or bad, as life had taught him the hard way that there were no guaranties for anything. But as he entered the hospital on Saturday morning with four carefully wrapped bundles in his arms, he couldn't help but wonder if the Godaime's request for formal robes at the hearing held a far deeper sense than to make a good impression on the council, one even she hadn't foreseen. 

It had taken him a while to find the right robes for the boys, as Sasuke and Itachi had both outgrown their old wardrobe left behind at the Uchiha estate. He'd had to take their Sound and Akatsuki _fashion_ (if one could call a purple butt bow or a non-descript black cloak with freaking _clouds_ on it, fashion) for measurements, after which the nasty garments had been burned immediately. Coming up empty handed in the boys' closets, he'd had to look for a different source and he hoped Fugaku-sama would forgive him for going through his belongings.

He still wasn't sure, if he had made the right decision to send the two before the council in their father's old clothing that, way back when, had been reserved for family ceremonies, council and clan meetings. Maybe the elders would see it as a defiling of such garments, as many of them were high ranking in their respective clans, some even leaders. Or maybe they would take it as an insult of their traditions to dress two traitors in the garbs of a leader. But he had little choice in the matter, since the traditional tailoring of this kind of clothing took a lot longer than the four days he'd had to procure them, especially without letting the tailor in on the fact that the two Uchiha's were back in town.

He hoped the council, or at least most of it, would look at it as a turning back to their roots and take it as a sign of good will and penitence.

Naruto's robes had been a _whole_ other story, since he had never been fitted for formal clothing in his life. Getting him to hold still to take his measures had been a nightmare, but worth it, as Kakashi was reasonably sure the clothes he had chosen would fit. He hadn't decided yet, whether he should tell the boy exactly how these robes had come into his possession or not, but he was glad to finally give them back to their rightful owner.

Even though Naruto may never know it, today he would finally take his place as the heir of the Yondaime Hokage, side by side with the people precious to him, supporting and defending his friends as his father would have done. It gave Kakashi hope for the Uchiha boys and he looked forward to seeing the shocked faces, when the elders recognised the garments as the same the Yellow Flash had worn the day of his inauguration as Hokage. _Yes_, he thought, _sensei would be proud of the boy._

He gave a small wave to the ANBU stationed in the deserted hallway, even though they'd hidden themselves and had masked their chakra, he knew his colleagues were there, and entered Sasuke's room first.

"Yo."

Well, that was new – the boy was actually reading one of the books Sakura had brought him. And although he was very curious what kind of story could hold the Uchiha captive, Kakashi couldn't see the title from this angle and didn't have time to ponder this new development now. His greeting went ignored, so he made his way over to the bed and snatched the book from the Uchiha's hands. Sasuke glared at him.

"Now that I've got your attention," he began a little miffed, "I'm here to bring your robes for the hearing."

"You're late."

He deposited the book on the bedside table and threw one of the parcels into the boy's lap. Sasuke looked at it as if waiting for it to explode and made no attempts to open it, instead he turned his eyes back to the other man. Kakashi heaved a sigh.

_Stupid brat!_

"Just put them on, will you?"

Reluctantly the Uchiha stood up and started to remove the wrapping, so Kakashi turned away to let him change.

"Since Naruto's not here yet, tell him this one's for him and show him how to wear it properly, okay?" He held up the respective bundle and laid it carefully on the chair.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes then." He started for the door, but was stopped by Sasuke's angry voice.

"Where did you get this!"

Turning around, Kakashi saw that the boy hadn't even touched the fabric, only ripped of the paper it was wrapped in and was now staring at it with shock and unease, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"That's a stupid question, Sasuke. You know exactly where those clothes come from."

"How dare you!" Sasuke lifted his head to glare at him and any lesser man with knowledge of the boy's past might have run for his life, but Kakashi finally had enough of this drama queen attitude of his.

"What would you have me do? Drag you to a tailor, when there's a strict order from the Hokage to keep your presence in Konoha a secret from the civilians? Or better yet, let you go to the hearing in your Sound uniform? Now that would have gone over real swell with the council, I'm sure…"

Sasuke still glared at him, but Kakashi wouldn't budge.

"Ohayo, teme! Ready to get judged?" The blond tornado had barged into the room without knocking again and saved his old mentor the painful process of actually having to dress the brat himself. Grabbing this small break given to him, Kakashi turned to Naruto and ignored the Uchiha.

"Naruto, there're your robes, Sasuke's gonna help you put them on. I've got to get ready myself." And he made a dash for the door, only to be stopped again, albeit by Naruto's whining this time.

"I can dress myself; I don't need the teme's help!"

"Oh for crying out loud…" the copy-nin grumbled under his breath. "Would you two quit being pigheaded!"

"Sasuke," turning to the Uchiha first, he poked him in the chest and ordered, "You _will_ wear your father's clothes or I promise you on my father's grave that I _will_ drag you to the hearing and present you to the council, as well as Sakura, most of your old classmates _and_ a large number of the ANBU and Jounin of this village**, in your birthday suit**! N A K E D, understood?"

They stared at each other for a full minute until Sasuke turned his gaze to the floor first, giving in.

"Hn."

That was good enough for Kakashi – he would take what he could get – so he turned to the other boy and threatened him in much the same way he had just done with the Uchiha.

"Naruto, you've never worn formal attire before, so you'll need a little guidance and Sasuke learned how to do this when he was a kid. So help me god, if you put on these robes the wrong way and make a fool of yourself in front of the most important people in this village, I will personally make sure that you're banned from Ichiraku for life, got that?"

"H… Hai, Kakashi-sensei." Obviously horrified, Naruto snapped of a salute and nodded vigorously.

"Good. The ANBU will escort you to the council chamber. I'll see you two in half an hour."

Satisfied Kakashi went to the door for the third time and finally left.

"Yo."

The older Uchiha, who had been pacing at the foot of his bed, was a little startled by Kakashi's entrance and looked at the older man with wide eyes.

"Kakashi-sempai!"

"I've got your robes." He looked a little closer at Itachi's face. "You look nervous…"

"A…" Itachi cleared his throat. "A little."

"There's really no need to be, Sakura has everything under control." Laying a comforting hand on Itachi's shoulder, the older man tried to encourage him. "You're just gonna have to trust her."

"I do!" Itachi exclaimed with conviction. "After all, without her I'd still be…" He looked away unable to finish the sentence.

"That's what she does, saving people." Kakashi smiled at the thought, the girl was special and she'd saved his life in more ways than just the medical, even if she didn't really know it. "And this time around it might even work on that stubborn brother of yours."

The mention of Sasuke made the younger man look even more uncomfortable and Kakashi finally caught on.

"This isn't about the trial at all, but about Sasuke, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

Itachi nodded and turned to look forlornly out the window. Kakashi sighed, there wasn't really anything he could say, they'd all have to hope that Sasuke would listen to Sakura before he did anything stupid, as he was so prone to do.

"Kakashi-sempai, may I ask you something?" The older man walked up to the window to stand alongside the Uchiha and nodded for him to continue.

"You have fought against me, while I was that… that monster and you know what It did to my family." He turned his head to look the copy-nin in the eye. "Why do you help me? Why do you even talk to me?"

"Because it could have easily been me. If I had stepped just a little further over the line, I would have lost myself in It's promises." He paused, contemplating that sentence. "I wasn't really myself anymore when it happened and I did things I never thought myself capable of. Itachi, after experiencing that, I can't blame you for anything that happened, because I _know_ it wasn't you who did it."

"I remember, It was excited over the prospect of having you. It showed me the thoughts It used to cloud your mind." His voice quivered as he recalled the pictures. "It was amused that your suffering was causing me pain."

"Come on, let's get ready…" Kakashi gave him a soft pat on the shoulder and went over to the bed.

They unwrapped the clothes and Kakashi started changing into the white undergarment and his dark grey kimono, but soon noticed that the younger man had stopped moving altogether. _Not again_, the copy-nin thought in dismay.

"I… I can't wear these!" Itachi stammered. "They belong… I… he… It's not right. I can't"

"You can and you will." Kakashi told him in a soft but firm tone. "Or am I gonna have to threaten you, too?"

The Uchiha looked at him bewildered.

"I told your brother, if he wouldn't wear your father's robes, I would drag him to the council naked. And I'm telling you now that I have no qualms to do the same with you."

"But my father, he wouldn't…" But Kakashi interrupted him.

"Your father would want his son to present himself in the best manner possible, Itachi. Your parents forgave you a long time ago."

"How could they possibly…"

"That's what parents do – they love their children, no matter what. Your father knew what was happening, he probably even blamed himself for not being able to help you, but I sincerely doubt that he _ever_ blamed you."

In another part of town, not far away in the Hokage's office, Sakura was getting ready with the help of her mentor. The two women were silent as Sakura put on her furisode reserved specifically for dealings with the Elder Council and clan meetings. It was made of silk, dyed in the same dark red of her usual training shirts and adorned with the white circle of the Haruno clan on the expanded sleeves and between the shoulder blades. A white crane was stitched into the back, covering the length of her calves and thighs. The wide obi was ivory brocade and embroidered with a wisteria motif. It was stiff and heavy and Sakura hated the outfit with a passion, for she could barely bend her back in it, but tradition dictated she wear it anyway.

Struggling to pull on her sandals she nearly keeled over and Tsunade bent down to help her.

"Can't I just wear my training outfit," Sakura pleaded. "I can't even pull on my own shoes!"

"Stop your whining, girl, we've been over this before." Tsunade scolded her. "You wanna make a good impression on the council – You gonna wear the monkey suit…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Sakura grumbled and tied on her hitai-ate.

"Sakura, some of the things I read in your notes," the older woman began reluctantly, "you realize they'll cause an uproar, right?"

"I know, but there's really no way around it."

Her mentor nodded and went over to her desk to retrieve a small wooden box. Bringing it over to her apprentice she explained it's contents.

"Here, I want you to have this." She opened the box and Sakura's eyes widened. "For good luck. You know, my vote is only one out of thirteen and the others might not be as willing to listen as I am."

"This is too much, Shishou, I…"

"Nonsense! I want you to wear it, end of story." With that she gestured for Sakura to take of her hitai-ate again and took her own out of the box. She hadn't worn it since she'd left the village after Dan's death, not even when they made her Hokage, but she had treasured it.

After fastening it on Sakura's head, she smoothed down her hair lovingly and kissed her forehead.

"I'm proud of you. You will succeed where I failed – saving a friend from himself. History will not repeat itself and I'm very glad you and Naruto don't share my fate."

"Thank you, Shishou."

Back in Sasuke's room Naruto was struggling to come to terms with his kimono, resulting in the Uchiha seriously reconsidering his decision to let him live eight years ago, as his headache was reaching a new peek. Ever since that traitorous, pink-haired annoyance had taken him of the medication the pain had doubled, but he had, out of pride, refused to tell her about it and had somewhat adjusted over time. But this was too much…

"You have to put the left side over the right, you moron. Right side over left is only used at burials – _for the corpse_!" He instructed with a hard voice for the second time already, as he put on a haori over his kimono. Both items were midnight-blue, almost black, and the back of the jacket was adorned by the Uchiha crest.

"Oi! Who're you calling a moron? At least I'm not the one wearing a skirt!"

"They're hakama pants, dobe." Sasuke rubbed his temples tiredly, the day had only begun and he had already enough of it. And if this headache was permanent he'd prefer being executed, so this whole shindig was a waste of time anyway.

"Looks like a skirt…" Naruto grumbled to himself, but refrained from further commenting and fidgeted with the kimono. Why'd he have to wear this anyway, _he_ wasn't on trial, only standing up as a character witness. He knotted the obi the way Sasuke had shown him and hoped Kakashi would be satisfied with the outcome.

In one of the backrooms of the council chamber Nara Shikamaru noticed that his blonde team mate was strangely silent, while the rest of the room was abuzz with talk. It wasn't like Ino to keep her mouth shut when others were gossiping and he was slightly concerned.

_Even when she was silent, she was still troublesome_, he thought irritably and nudged her with his elbow, giving her a questioning look when she turned to face him.

"It's nothing," she told him, but he wasn't convinced and raised his eyebrow to let her know.

"Really, Shika, don't worry about it. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing here in the first place. There's nothing really important about my testimony, so why did she ask me to be here as a witness?"

He shrugged in response, even his genius brain had sometimes trouble understanding the whims of the female population, and left Ino to her thoughts.

A few seats down, Hyuga Hinata was nervously twiddling with her fingers until a large hand reached over and stopped the movement.

"There is no need to worry about Uzumaki," the stoic voice of her cousin told her. "And do not hide behind your hair, you are the deserving heiress of the Hyuga Clan, show yourself as such."

"Hai, Neji-nii-san." She replied and set up straight, sweeping her hair behind her ears, smiling softly. Although his words and his emotionless voice would seem short and harsh to others, she had learned over time to take them as the compliment they really were.

In the seat to her left, Tenten smiled.

On the other side of the room a door opened and two ANBU stepped in, gesturing for those present to enter the council chamber. One by one they filed into the room and watched as the members of the council, lead by Tsunade and Shizune, walked in and Sakura took her place at a lectern facing the council seats.

The chamber was a dark room with few light sources that were mostly concentrated on the lectern and the dock, where the Uchihas would later stand. The twelve Elders sat in a raised half circle; it's opening facing Sakura, with the Godaime and Shizune in the middle. The Hokage's apprentice and assistant was here to write the minutes of the trial, but she had no say in the actual verdict.

The audience, made up of witnesses and Jounin of the Village interested in the fate of the Uchiha brothers, took their places in rows leading from the two ends of the council bench straight towards the lectern. The whole ensemble looked very much like a horseshoe.

"Bring in the accused." The Hokage's voice boomed through the large room and bounced of the naked stone walls.

The door on Sakura's right opened and two masked ANBU walked in, followed by Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi walking next to each other. Yet another two masked ANBU brought up the rear, closing the door behind them with an echoing thud.

Many of those present had to take a second look before they realised it was really the older Uchiha standing before them, as his shorter hair and shamefaced demeanour were so different from the dangerous criminal they'd feared and fought all these years. His hands were bound behind his back and his face turned to the ground, the white of his hakama pants shining like a beacon in the dim room.

Murmuring about his choice of clothes filled the rows, but died down quickly when a second door on Sakura's left opened and the younger Uchiha was brought in. Like his brother he was escorted by four ANBU and Uzumaki Naruto walked by his side.

Sasuke heard loud gasps from all around him as he made his way to the middle of the room, but when he looked up, he could see that most eyes were not as he'd expected trained on him, but on the for once solemn blond. He looked puzzled at his friend but couldn't figure out why the others were so shocked at the sight of him – the dobe had even managed to tie the knot of his obi right and his clothes were flawless. Maybe it was just the strange flame pattern at the cuffs and hem of his robes that had them surprised or maybe they'd just never expected to see him so dignified

In her seat a few feet above the docks, Tsunade raised an inquiring brow in Kakashi's direction but only received a shrug and a smug wink in return. Amused by his attitude, she gave a satisfied smile. _Sly, Hatake, very sly indeed…_

The talking in the rows had picked up again and even the Elders were whispering amongst each other – of all the things they'd expected to see today, the resurrection of the Fourth was not one of them. But the boy did indeed resemble his father in so many ways that some had the sudden feeling of seeing a ghost.

Coming to a halt in front of the Hokage, Sasuke looked to his right and was confronted with the face that had haunted his every waking and sleeping hour for the last decade. Anger boiled in him and he was about to launch himself across the small space separating them, ANBU and shackles be damned, when a hand grabbed his arm and forced him to turn. Naruto was looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Don't, teme! This isn't the time or the place for murder." He spoke in a soft whisper, hoping not to alert the council to Sasuke's actions. "Please, just listen to Sakura-chan. She's worked her ass of to make this hearing happen in the first place. Without her you'd already be executed…"

Giving a short nod, Sasuke resigned himself to waiting, but couldn't help glaring at his brother again. At first he was further angered by the fact that Itachi wouldn't even look at him, but soon the shame and sorrow radiating from his brother's bowed form registered in his mind and he found himself at an impasse. The older man wasn't purposely ignoring him, but seemed to be unable to look him in the face, his eyes staring sightlessly at the ground. His hair was different, his eyes not red but their natural black and he looked smaller, no longer the inhuman façade Sasuke had come to hate since that bloodied day.

A strange feeling spread though his chest and he felt himself calming down, maybe there was a point to this charade after all. If only so he could finally understand why his brother had done it. He briefly locked eyes with his old sensei and Kakashi gave him a small nod of understanding, he too had been surprised at the change the first time he'd seen it. Sasuke turned back to the Hokage, who'd stood up and quieted the room with a few waves of her hands.

"We have gathered here today to decide upon the fates of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke, who have both committed the act of treason and many other heinous crimes against the citizens of Konoha. Standing up as character witnesses and advocates are Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto. The council will hear the exculpation of Haruno Sakura and the statements of various witnesses of the events that took place one week ago. After that Yamanaka Inoichi will present his findings and the council will retire for deliberations." She paused and looked slowly at the people in front of her; having reached Sakura she gave a nod and took her seat.

"Haruno Sakura, please begin."

Sasuke and his guards turned to face the young woman and he could see his brother's party doing the same. Laying eyes on her for the first time that day, he couldn't hold in a small gasp of surprise. He had never seen her in anything other than her training clothes and the kimono she was wearing now seemed the polar opposite of her usual attire. She stood straight, her hands clasped behind her back and her face a perfect mask of indifference, the picture of a high ranking member of society, maybe even that of a clan's matriarch, mature and confident. He had been wrong – she _had_ changed, the self-conscious little girl he'd once sworn to protect was long gone and in her place stood a woman who held an aura of inner strength and intelligence.

She stepped in front of the lectern and bowed down.

"I want to express my gratitude to the Council members for giving me the time and opportunity to seek answers and present them here today. Thank you for your patience." With that she straightened up and went over to her notes to begin her speech.

"The Mangekyo is not a natural evolution of the Sharingan, but rather one that was forced upon the Uchiha clan about four hundred years ago." Her voice was even and Sasuke could see it was not the first lecture she'd held. He had missed a lot in her life, he realised; the girl he'd left behind that day had not been a good public speaker, as her fears had prohibited her often from saying what was really on her mind.

"The old records of the Uchiha clan describe their search for the perfection of the Sharingan and how they found a power mightier then they could have imagined. But it was not simply physical power; they found a strange body-less creature that offered to help them, only they didn't know it was actually a demon. It spun a tale of losing it's body in a fight against an ancient evil and tricked one of them, Uchiha no Yorimoto, into lending his body by promising him the perfection of his kekkei genkai. The fight it had described had really happened, only the creature itself was the mentioned ancient evil and it's opponents were, as far as I can tell, nature spirits, patrons of the temples and shrines strewn throughout the shinobi lands."

"These spirits had also taken precautions, so the demon could not simply take any human being as a host and use his or her body, for It needed a corporeal body to utilize It's powers. A truly evil deed had to be performed by the human, a sacrifice so to speak, and the demon demanded Yorimoto kill his wife in exchange for power."

The room was filled with tense silence and every eye was on her, yet she kept on with her prepared speech. Sasuke saw a determination in her eyes that he'd never encountered before.

"However, Yorimoto loved his wife and refused. So the creature devised a subterfuge, looking deep into his heart and searched for dark, foul emotions that It could exploit and It found them, no matter how well hidden they might have been. It exaggerated his fears and resentments and nourished them with dreams and visions, until he could barely differentiate between reality and dream any longer. The records say he changed into a distanced and paranoid man, but that his relatives had no way of knowing how to help him."

"In the end, Yorimoto killed his wife, believing the demon's lies and promises of a power that could vanquish any enemy and overcome any fear. But none of the promises came true and the demon took his body and made him a prisoner in his own mind. It wreaked havoc across the world, beginning with the defiling of temples and shrines, and no one knew how to stop it, for the demon's power combined with the Sharingan created a new, unmatched level of the bloodline limit, the Mangekyo Sharingan, as the demon had named it, after Itself."

"The rest of the Uchihas went into conference with the other clan's living in the Land of Fire to find a way out of the mess they had created and it was decided that they would visit the temples, in hopes of finding one of the spirits to help them fight. They found a temple hidden deep in the mountains and the monks revealed that their patron spirit was one of those who had sealed away the demon's body in a statue. A summoning was performed and the spirit, after seeing the sincere remorse and the will to protect in the hearts of the clan members, accepted their plea and fought the demon."

"The spirit won, but it's body was broken in the end." Her voice became softer and Sasuke could see a slight tremble in her hands as she took a deep breath. "It prophesised that the clan would forever be haunted by their thirst for power and that the demon, now body-less again, would continue to exploit them, for the monster could not be killed which is why they chose to seal It's body in the first place. Having freed Yorimoto, the Spirit demanded he pay for his weakness and give his life-force to help protect the future generations of his clan from the demon's mind games, which he did, since he was now of clear mind again and didn't wish to live without his wife."

"They managed to devise another stipulation that went along with the demon's need for a sacrifice before it could take a host. Those strong enough to withstand the promises and visions would be given a different, _pure_ form of the Mangekyo Sharingan and would still be in full control of their body and mind. It is a test, so to speak, of inner strength. From then on, whenever the demon wormed his way into the heart of one of the clan members and clouded their mind, they could either give in and make the sacrifice or stay true to their own heart and mind and stop their hands at the last moment. Only then, when they held the life of a person close to their heart, a person precious to them, in their hands and were strong enough to pull back and not harm them, would they be given the gift of the true perfect Sharingan."

"One of the people who passed this test is Hatake Kakashi." She looked at her old sensei and he gave her an encouraging smile and nod. "Kakashi-sempai, please step forward and explain the circumstances under which you achieved your Mangekyo Sharingan."

As Kakashi retold the story for the council in a slightly edited version – he'd given Sakura a few personal details that were really none of the council's business – Sakura took a deep gulp of water and mentally prepared herself for the barrage of questions awaiting her. She was far from finished, but wanted to make sure the elders weren't just listening but rather comprehending the importance of what she told them. So she wanted them to ask questions and had decided to cut her narrative short, giving them the history but not what had happened in Itachi's case.

Finished with his part, Kakashi went back to his place next to Itachi and looked at Sasuke. The boy looked shell-shocked, as did many others in the room, but the copy-nin knew it was for a different reason. Sasuke had been plagued with nightmares for years and while some were a natural reaction of the human psyche to the tragic events he'd experienced, many were enhanced and exaggerated by the demon's manipulations and Sasuke was just realising that. Sakura stepped back behind the lectern and continued.

"I found evidence in the records of several members of the Uchiha clan falling victim to this demon, some passed the test and others failed, but they were few and far between. It appears the demon in his disembodied form, is far weaker and needs several decades to restore the energy needed to manipulate a human in such an elaborate manner. This is one reason why the 'curse', as the records call it, fell into oblivion until only old wife's tales and rumours of a Sharingan with absolute power remained. The other reason was fear and shame. They were so afraid of the fate they'd brought upon themselves that they would not even speak the name of the demon."

"Haruno-san," one of the elders, Mitokado Homura, stood up and interrupted her. "We did not come here for a history lesson, so please explain how this relates to the two accused and their actions. And what happened between you and Uchiha Itachi during the attack?"

"I was about to, Mitokado-san." Sakura was not intimidated by the reprimand, she'd expected it. Many of the elders were not known for their patience… "The spirit, as I already mentioned before, lost it's body while fighting the demon; it was about to die, when it demanded Yorimoto's life-force. Having devised the test, it used the last of their combined strength to enforce it's soul, so it would be reborn. But since it too was now disembodied, it was born again in the body of a human, as a second soul that would lay dormant until needed. Should the demon achieve to take a new host, the spirit would combine it's power with that of the human it resided in and continue the fight."

"The humans it was born in were not chosen randomly, but for their personality, that didn't have to be flawless, but overall filled with good intentions. Mostly they were close to the Uchihas, from befriended families and allied clans, and they usually did not possess a kekkei genkai, since the spirit didn't want to create a situation similar to the one with the Uchihas. More often than not, the humans succumbed to their injuries and died after banishing the demon."

"If most of it was forgotten by even the Uchihas, how can you be so sure of all this?" It was Hyuga Hiashi interrupting her this time.

"Because, in this generation, I am the human born with the soul of the spirit!" A collective gasp followed her statement and she saw Sasuke's and Naruto's eyes widen, but Sakura turned calmly towards the rows on her left. "And to prove that, I ask Yamanaka Ino to testify. Ino, please step forward and relay the events that took place during our fight in the chunin exams eight years ago."

Ino's eyes were unblinking and wide, and she stared at her best friend in disbelief. True, she'd always wondered about this 'Inner Sakura' she'd met, but to think it was the soul of a spirit _using_ her Sakura as a _host_…

Reluctantly she made her way to the lectern and described the fight, how she had used her mind connecting jutsu to force Sakura's body to forfeit, but had been confronted by a strange part of Sakura's mind that could withstand the jutsu and threw her out. She explained that it had acted like a whole different person, but had looked the same as the outer Sakura and that it's fierce and angry personality had shocked her, as her friend was usually calm and quiet spoken.

Sakura could see the distrust and speculations in the elders' faces and continued before one of them could question her Inner's intentions.

"The spirit is not a threat, not to Konoha or anyone else. It's sole purpose in this world is to continue the fight against the demon that haunts the Uchihas and to keep It from recovering It's former body."

"One week ago, when the Akatsuki attacked Konoha to capture the Kyubi sealed in Uzumaki Naruto, we, that is the spirit and I, had the chance to finally confront the demon, when It used the Tsukuyomi on me and therefore connected It's mind to mine. I myself was unable to counter this attack, but the spirit's soul used it's power to take control over the connection and enter the mind of Uchiha Itachi. It instructed me to find the real Itachi and free him, while it held back the demon. After I had accomplished that, the Spirit combined my life-force with it's own and, together with Itachi, we accomplished to ban the demon from Itachi's body back into the ethereal world."

"You want us to believe the Uchiha is innocent of all the killings he committed, that he was possessed by this _demon_?" The elder who spoke was unknown to Sasuke, but he didn't like the look the guy was giving Sakura. And although the question was justified, the younger Uchiha couldn't understand the harshness it was posed with, Sakura was trying her best to explain and this guy seemed to want to punish her for it. "Do you even have proof for this fairy tale?"

"Yes, I do." Sakura was unshaken; she had also expected to be confronted with disbelief and anger. "First of all, I have the statement of a well known demon. Uzumaki Naruto, please step forward and repeat the information the Kyubi gave you during your fight with Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto looked at her questioningly, he hadn't expected to actually have to testify, but she'd apparently changed the plan slightly and was now narrowing her eyes at him, to get him to move.

"Uhh, the fox told me that he had underestimated Itachi before, but that he could now see him for what he really was. He said he could see the real nature behind the human mask. And he told me to be afraid, because even he couldn't measure it's true power. I think the fox was even a little afraid himself…" Naruto winced and put a hand to his temple. Sakura was about to go over to him when he began speaking again.

"Okay, okay…" he grumbled more to himself and looked up at the council. "The fox says he wasn't afraid, just, you know, surprised." He grinned and walked back to Sasuke, the whispers around him growing louder and he hoped they wouldn't start attacking Sakura again.

"Of course, that is not the only proof I can give you, but it does say a lot about the immense power we are dealing with here." Sakura continued. "Next, I have made copies of the important passages in the clan records for the council; each of you should have one in front of you. Then there is the fact that Uchiha Itachi cannot activate the Mangekyo Sharingan anymore, which was shown during an elaborate test conducted by the Hokage."

"Hatake Kakashi's testimony of his own experience with the demon's influence and manipulations does also document It's existence. And last but not least we have Yamanaka Inoichi's report of his investigation into Itachi's and my memories. Yamanaka-san, please step forward and give the council your findings."

Yamanaka Inoichi kept his statement short and to the point, hoping to not give the council anymore space to question his daughter's best friend. He had been shaken after viewing her memories, but those of the older Uchiha had even given him nightmares. His whole life he had dealed with mind control and manipulation, as his family was specialised in this type of jutsu, but to see this… this monster and what it had done to the boy…

Inoichi had never before been confronted with the effect his family's specialty could have on the mind of his opponent, but the demon's actions had shown him how destructive mind control really was when in the wrong hands. He sincerely hoped to help the Uchiha with his report and that both boys would recover from their tragic history. He knew Sakura wouldn't give up on them, but against the council even she was powerless.

"Thank you, Yamanaka-san." Sakura gave him a grateful smile and turned back to the council.

"Is this proof enough?" She asked boldly.

"Yes, Haruno-san." Hiashi spoke before anyone could interfere. "But there are still questions we need answered."

"Please, ask. I will answer as well as I can."

"Even if the massacre of his clan was not committed by Uchiha Itachi himself, he still took the life of his relative Uchiha Shisui, a loyal and honourable Konoha nin. Why should we not execute him for that alone?" Hiashi was giving her an opening, she realized. She'd already won his vote and the thought gave her by now exhausted voice a new boost.

"Because he had no choice." Sakura tried to explain. "The demon's power and It's ability to utilize that power is directly proportional to the host body's capacity to contain it. Therefore it only chose the most powerful clan members and twelve years ago It had set Its sight on Uchiha Itachi as the most promising host."

"It searched his heart for emotions it could exploit and found resentment towards his father for the way Fugaku-san pressured him to become more involved in the clan's life and at the same time neglected his younger brother. The demon nourished that resentment into hate over time, through dreams and whispers and in the end tried to compel him into killing his father as sacrifice."

"But Itachi refused and never even came near to laying a hand on his father. His parents' lives were sacred to him." Here she looked Sasuke in the eyes, hoping to get him to understand her words more than anyone else in the room. "As much as the hate had grown in him, he loved his parents and would have never hurt them."

"So the demon changed his strategy and directed the hate it had created towards another person close to Itachi, namely Uchiha Shisui. And to make sure It would succeed this time, It also wormed It's way into Shisui's heart and clouded his mind very much the same way it had done with Itachi. It knew, in a confrontation between the two, Itachi would win, so it only had to make sure Itachi would actually kill Shisui, not just incapacitate him. Which it did by coercing Shisui into attacking Itachi." She looked at Hiashi since it had been his question. "He was only defending himself."

Hiashi nodded, satisfied, and looked at the Hokage to signal her he needed no more answers.

But Tsunade was not finished yet, she knew she could not let the younger Uchiha go unmentioned any longer. After all, the council had to make a decision about him, too.

"Very well," she began. "Now we have another matter all together to discuss. Uchiha Sasuke, you left this village without permission and allied yourself with a known enemy. And although I do believe Sakura's excursion and the events you witnessed twelve years ago explain a lot about your behaviour and attitude, the fact remains that you have acted on your own volition when you left."

"While I can understand that you wished to revenge your family and that your desire to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan by killing one of your old team mates may have been induced by that creature, this does not justify your decision to leave the village and join Oto. What have you to say for yourself?"

Sasuke, now facing the council again, cringed inside. There wasn't really anything he could say and apologizing had never been his strong suit. Not that he actually wanted to apologize, no, but he did acknowledge that he might have acted rashly and maybe even foolish. _Especially now that it had all been for naught_.

He'd always counted on having killed at least on S-class missing-nin before his return, whether it would have been the snake or his brother was pretty much unimportant, but now he didn't have that as leverage…

"I only did what I thought was right for me." He stated in a subdued voice. "It wasn't."

Tsunade nodded, she knew this was as close to an apology as she would ever get from the brat, and looked at the rest of the former Team 7.

"Hatake Kakashi, do you stand by your decision to defend the two accused and still petition for them to be pardoned?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Haruno Sakura, same question…"

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou."

"Uzumaki Naruto?"

"You bet, Baa-chan!"

She shook her head at his word choice and made a mental note to give him a _friendly_ little slap later. But for now she put it aside and looked at every council member in turn. None of them signalled their need for more questions, so she called an end to the meeting.

"The Council will retire to discuss the verdict now. We will continue in one hour."

* * *

**A/N: So, here are the answers, finally! Well, not all of them, but the rest is in the next chapter. I hope it all makes sense, at least a little…**

**I know Sakura's monolog is long and, believe me, it was pretty hard to write. But I have absolutely no idea how to shorten it, since this story is the basic theory of this fan fiction and I wanted to have it as complete and detailed as possible. I haven't repeated Kakashi's story, since we got the gist of it in the last chapter. And Inoichi's report will come up in a later chapter, from Sakura's PoV.**

**The Lyrics at the beginning are from the song 'Fallen' from Sarah McLachlan. I know, her again, but the words fit so perfectly for Sasuke in this chapter. He knows he screwed up and that his friends were only trying to help him, but he can't really admit that he was wrong…**

**About the clothes (please be aware that I am not Japanese and had to look most of this up, so if there are any mistakes, I apologize.):**

**Since the word 'kimono' literally means 'clothes' and can be used for any kind of traditional Japanese clothing, I decided to be a more specific with the details. I doubt a yukata would be appropriate for a trial…**

**A furisode is the name of the formal kimono of unmarried women and is usually adorned with bright colourful patterns that cover the whole garment and very long swinging sleeves that average between 39 and 42 inches in length. But as this story plays in a fictional world, I took the liberty to tone it down a bit, since sleeves reaching to the floor would be rather unpractical for someone holding a speech and having to describe with their hands. And I made it uniclour except for the family crest and the crane to better fit the scenario, as I think bright patterns with flowers and stuff in twenty different coulours would be rather inappropriate here.**

**The obi is the belt used to tie the kimono, the rule for women is, the more pattern – the more formal the occasion. They can either be printed or embroidered, the brocade embroidered on both sides being the most formal. Which makes it, just like Sakura's here, very stiff and heavy and I just can't see any female ninja, (used to being alert and having to react in a nanosecond) happy with that, so Sakura dislikes it very much indeed.**

**Hakama pants resemble a wide, pleated skirt and are today mostly worn by martial artists and by grooms at traditional wedding ceremonies and on other extremely formal occasions. They originated as clothing of samurai, to protect the wearers legs from shrubbery and such, I think. (Like chaps…) They are usually striped in black/grey and white, very much like the tuxedo pants of a groom in western ceremonies, but I changed them to full white to fit the Uchiha colours, much like Sasuke's outfit before he ran away.**

**Naruto does not wear hakama pants, simply because I just can't imagine the Fourth wearing them at his inauguration (or ever, for that matter…). So Sasuke's ensemble is a little more formal, after all it was his father's outfit for important meetings.**

**A haori is a coat worn over the kimono that adds formality to the outfit. I pretty much left it as is, except for the family crest, which is usually on the kimono, but not on the jacket. I just turned that around.**

**And the left-over-right rule Sasuke tries to explain to Naruto is real – right over left is only used when dressing a corpse…**

**Other important parts:**

**Yes, Naruto is the son of the Yondaime in this story. For me that theory makes the most sense, as Naruto had to come from _somewhere_, he didn't just pop up out of thin air. And I don't believe the Fourth would have just chosen a random newborn and settled it with such a fate, but rather that he would have chosen a child he believed would be able to make the best of it and he trusted his own son to be strong enough to still have a good life despite the demon fox. **

**And all those similarities that are mentioned (or rather rubbed in our faces) all the time between Naruto and the Fourth (looks, personality, they're both toad summoners, they were both trained by Jiraiya, the Spiralling Sphere, etc. etc…) are just too many to be coincidental. I just don't believe in coincidences, especially in fictional worlds – authors never do/say anything without the future of the story in mind. Six years of reading Harry Potter has taught me that one…**

**A little correction to the last chapter: After looking over my notes again, I noticed I made an error with the English term for 'Sharingan'. It is of course 'Copy Wheel Eye', not Copy Eye Wheel. I'm very sorry and I changed it, when I uploaded this chapter. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you gaarafaves, honouring death, Sirona of Arabia, Noodle-lub-Yooh, blackfphoenix and moodiful819!**

**So, I hope you like it and please, review.**


	7. Shades of Grey

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 07

**Shades of Grey

* * *

**

_This is me for forever  
One of the lost ones  
The one without a name  
Without an honest heart  
as compass _

Oh how I wish  
For soothing rain  
All I wish is to dream again  
My loving heart  
Lost in the dark  
For hope I'd give my everything

My flower, withered between  
The pages 2 and 3  
The once and forever bloom  
gone with my sins

Walk the dark path  
Sleep with angels  
Call the past for help  
Touch me with your love  
And reveal to me my true name

Once and for all  
And all for once  
Nemo my name forever more

Nemo sailing home  
Nemo letting go

* * *

Sakura watched as the ANBU escorted the two Uchihas back into their separate holding rooms, the same they'd waited in for the hearing to begin. When the doors closed behind them, the echoing thud fading amongst the murmurs and whispers in the rows, she started gathering her notes and gave a quiet sigh.

_Well, so far so good…_

The Elders had actually been a lot more open to her speech than she'd expected them to be and hope bloomed in her heart. The Uchihas were safe, they would survive and maybe now they could help each other heal the wounds of time. It would be a long and hard journey for them, she was sure of it, however sometimes it was not the journey, but rather the destination that counted.

Hinata and Tenten quietly approached her and gave her tentative smiles of congratulation.

"You were wonderful, Sakura-chan." The Hyuga heiress told her in that quiet voice that hadn't much changed since their genin days, but thankfully lost the stutter with time and a lot of special attention from one loudmouthed, hyperactive shinobi.

Sakura smiled back gratefully and nodded her thanks, before her gaze quickly averted to the blond young woman hanging a ways back behind the other two. She looked at her best friend questioningly, but Ino wouldn't meet her eyes. Unsure what exactly was wrong, Sakura slowly walked over and was startled as Ino took a small step backwards, colliding with Shikamaru standing behind her. Their eyes finally connected and she could see Ino's thoughts as clear as day, the distrust and unease, the slight accusation and even a little fear. Sakura took a deep breath and spoke in a calm, almost soothing voice.

"I'm still me, Ino!"

"Are you?" came the blonde's somewhat bitter voice.

Before Sakura could answer, Ino had already turned and was walking back to her place in the witness row. Shikamaru looked after her for a moment and then gave Sakura an encouraging pat on the head and a small smile.

"She'll come around." He nodded once and started back to his seat. "You did good, Haruno…"

Hanging her head, Sakura went back to Tenten and Hinata, who looked at her with sympathy. The bond between the blond and the pink-haired kunoichi was strong, they knew, but after years of more or less open rivalry it was also fragile and would easily come undone with one false step. At times the two seemed unbreakable, despite the loud and vigorous fighting they excelled in, and then other times it looked as if they would never really overcome the gap they'd created with their petty contest over the younger Uchiha.

In one of the holding rooms, Sasuke sat down, lost in thought. His brother was innocent, _innocent_, and his family was cursed. And Kakashi had almost lost himself in this monster, too.

The story of his old sensei was what had touched him the most, for the dreams he had described were familiar and terrifying, so similar to his own. The blood, the desire to kill, the joy of taking his brother's life…

"_It was eating away everything else, until there was nothing left but all-consuming **hatred** that wasn't directed at anything at all…"_

He stared at the wall, replaying Kakashi's words in his head, and felt closer to the older man than ever before. The copy-nin had told him a long time ago that they were more alike then either of them would care to admit, but it had never been clearer to him than today. The demons they carried with them, not just the one haunting his family, but those resulting of tragedy and loss, the inbred stubbornness and pride, the curse of a genius mind that never really stopped thinking…

_What would he do now? _

His life had been guided by hatred and the thirst for revenge and justice for twelve years and now it turned out to be all wrong. Everything he had done since the day he came home to find his family gone, had this one sole purpose – but now that purpose was gone as well and he was left with nothing except for a brother he wasn't sure he ever really knew and friends who had changed so much he barely recognised them anymore.

The dobe could suddenly be attributed with words like 'dignified', 'quiet' and 'solemn', Kakashi actually took life seriously and stood straight in front of the council, his damned orange book nowhere to be seen, and Sakura was a grown woman no longer in need of protection, who stood up to people like the head of the Hyuga clan…

Everything was so wrong, it all was supposed to be so different. His brother was supposed to be dead – and in a way he was, for the man who had haunted him for so long did not exist anymore, but his _brother_ was still alive. And he was supposed to be free now and maybe even happy, but instead he felt only confusion and hopelessness.

_What now indeed…_

Naruto watched his friend silently, not quite knowing what to say. He himself was shocked at some of the things they'd just been told. He'd of course noticed that the older Uchiha was different after his mysterious confrontation with Sakura, but that he'd been possessed by a demon, one even the Kyubi seemed powerless against, was a surprise he was ill prepared for.

There had been times when the Kyubi had temporarily taken control over his body and he'd afterwards woken up disoriented and panicked, worried what had happened and if he'd hurt anyone. But from the way Sakura had spoken of Itachi and the other Uchihas, who'd been taken over, as being '_imprisoned in his own mind_' and the pain he'd seen in Itachi's eyes, it seemed to Naruto as if Sasuke's brother had been aware of the things his body was doing, but unable to stop any of it.

_Kami, having to see your own hands killing your parents and be powerless to help them…_

Separated from his brother by a single wall, Itachi sat next to Kakashi, who was already reading his trademark book again. He knew it wasn't over yet and that the council could very well still decide to execute him – just to make sure – but at least Sasuke knew now. That was all that mattered really, so at least one of them could lay his ghosts to rest and maybe, just maybe, live a normal life once again.

Looking at the older man, he opened his mouth and closed it immediately, at a loss for words. The copy-nin had given him something he could have never hoped for and that he could never repay – forgiveness. And a simple 'thank you' seemed so inadequate, so meek, in face of the words the older man had spoken this morning.

"_I sincerely doubt he ever blamed you…"_

Itachi had accepted a long time ago that he would go to hell and that it would most likely be his little brother to send him there. And now here was a man, who looked at him as an equal and did not hold one grain of accusation for the past, but rather understanding and gave him the never hoped for absolution in his parents' stead.

And then there was a young woman whose smile was brighter than the sun, and she talked to _him_, touched him without hesitation, and held so much love and care for him, that it was easy to forget, if just for a few moments. Freedom, peace, a chance to explain – all these things she'd given him and not asked for anything in return. He would forever be in her debt, but strangely that didn't seem such a bad fate…

Back in the council chamber Sakura was talking quietly with Hinata and Tenten. Many of her old classmates had already given her congratulations and exclamations of disbelief and surprise, but Ino was still brooding in her seat, sometimes staring right at her, sometimes looking at everything but her friend. It unnerved Sakura, but there was little she could do, as it would take time to repair this new rift. Ino would come to terms with these developments eventually, she hoped.

The big double-doors behind the Elders' seats opened and the quiet talking in the room came to a halt as the council walked back in and took their seats. Sakura went back to the lectern, the others back to the witness stands and Tsunade stood at the head of the council table.

"Bring in the accused." She said for the second time that day and again her voice seemed to magnify as it bounced of the chamber walls.

Still standing she waited for the two Uchihas to be brought in front of her and looked from one to the other, until she was satisfied she had their full attention.

"We, the Council of Konoha, have come to the decision that both accused will be pardoned, but not go unpunished." She took her seat to list the disciplinary actions appointed by the elders. She could see a sigh of relief leaving the three advocates and a slight shudder running through the older Uchiha's shoulders, as if a great burden had been taken of them. But the younger one stayed the same, staring straight at her, his emotions unreadable.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you have been found guilty of the act of treason and will be punished accordingly. However, the council recognises that many of your actions were influenced by your family's tragedy and the resulting psychological trauma, as well as this demon's rotten influence. And since you rid Konoha of one of it's greatest enemies, the S-class criminal Orochimaru, you have fallen back into the good graces of this council and will be spared from execution or a prison sentence. But you do not have the trust of the elders yet and will have to work to win it back."

Sasuke looked at the Hokage bewildered. Hadn't she told him just a few days ago that his mind hadn't been able to withstand the snake's jutsu and he'd only survived because of the intervention of this mysterious _guardian angel_, she'd referred to? He'd taken that to mean it hadn't been him who killed the sannin, so why would the council think otherwise?

He narrowed his eyes, but she ignored him and continued. So the old drunk still had a few cards up her sleeve, huh? He hoped he would catch her later, so he could demand an explanation.

"You will be suspended from all rights and privileges of the shinobi status until you have proven your loyalty to this village and it's citizens by attending unpaid community service. Until then you will not be given missions, nor will you be allowed to leave the village, unless you receive permission from the Hokage and have at least one of your overseers with you. Your official overseers will be Team 7 consisting of Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Sai and Yamato, at least one of them will be with you at all times, even at home."

"Since your apartment was sold after your defection and all it's contents put into storage, you will move back into your clan's residence and your first service to this community will be to restore it. Other assignments will be given to you as they accrue."

"An ANBU watch will be stationed to check up on you and supervise your movements for the foreseeable future. Should you be found without any of your overseers, or should the ANBU find you committing to any kind of act that could be considered treacherous or in any way dangerous to this Village and it's citizens, you will be apprehended and put into prison. The council will then newly decide on your actions and may very well still execute you if necessary."

"You will continue your training under Hatake Kakashi, so that he can evaluate the skills and jutsu you have attained in your time away. Once you are back in the mission roster, you will attend the chunin and jounin exams as fast as possible. However before you are allowed to take the ANBU aptitude test, you will take on a genin team and prepare them for their chunin exams, to prove your mental stability and your qualification to function as a full-fledged member of this community."

"The duration of your suspension is not set in stone, but will take six months at the very least, at which point the council will reconvene to assess your progress and decide upon further monitoring if necessary. Any questions?"

Sasuke shook his head and Tsunade nodded once; then turned to the older Uchiha.

"Uchiha Itachi, the council exculpates you from all charges brought against you. However, since the crimes of this monster were committed under your identity and there is still the chance, however small it might be, that you have found a way to trick us all, some precautions are deemed necessary."

"Your status as a shinobi is hereby revoked; you will live your life in this village as a civilian from now on. As your brother, you will live in the old Uchiha estate to rebuild it, and be under ANBU surveillance and watched by Team 7, until the council sees fit to remove them. However, in regard of your history and to assure the safety of the villagers, you are put under house arrest and are not allowed to leave your family's premises unless on Hokage's orders."

"You will put all information that you have about the Akatsuki together in a written report. The council acknowledges that this information may be fragmentary and incomplete due to the nature of your situation, but to fight them we will need every possible thread of inside knowledge. You will have this report finished by the end of the week."

"To avoid panic and general confusion amongst the citizens and with allied villages, the council has decided that your presence in Konoha will be kept secret and you will assume a new identity of your choosing. There is no doubt that many would not believe any of what we have heard here today, no matter how much proof is given, and that our allies would be far less willing to accept you back than we are."

"From this day on it will be known to everyone outside of this room, that Uchiha Itachi, S-class criminal and murderer of the Uchiha clan, succumbed this morning to the injuries he received on the battle field seven days ago. His body was cremated and his ashes interred at the Uchiha burial grounds. His name will be put on the memorial next to his father's, as he was once a loyal and brave defender of the Village hidden in the Leaves. May he rest in peace." Her last words were spoken softly and a short moment of silence followed them as all present took in the magnitude of her statement.

"Any questions?"

"No, Hokage-sama." Itachi shook his head and Tsunade motioned for the ANBU to take the shackles off of the boys.

"Welcome back, both of you." She smiled warmly and watched as Naruto clapped Sasuke on the shoulder in congratulation and Kakashi nodded towards the older Uchiha.

"Now to Team 7, Yamato and Sai, please step forward and join your team mates."

Two of the ANBU guards standing behind Sasuke took of their masks and walked up next to Kakashi and Naruto. Sai gave the Uchiha a dark look, but turned to the Hokage a moment later and waited for her to speak again, his usual vacant smile back on his face. Yamato simply ignored both Uchihas.

"Team 7, you are hereby given the mission to guard and watch over the actions of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke. At least one of you will always be with each of them at all times, even at night, therefore you will move into the Uchiha residence with them and help restore it. For the first two months, one of you will report to me once a week about their status and behaviour. After that the reports will be delivered monthly. You will not be given any other missions for the duration of their surveillance, unless your personal expertise is needed. Do you accept this mission?"

The five nodded and gave their consent as one.

"Before we end this hearing however," Tsunade began anew in a more informal tone, "there are still some questions concerning this demon's actions that we would like to be answered. If you can…"

She looked at Sakura and the younger woman nodded and stepped forward to stand between her team mates and the two Uchihas. She knew what was coming and wanted to be at Itachi's side, needing his help to fill in some of the gaps, since he knew the details better than anyone else.

"If this creature is dependent on the Uchihas as hosts," Hiashi asked, leaning forward slightly, "why did it kill them?"

Sakura looked at Itachi, asking with her eyes if she should go first. He gave her a nod and she folded her hands in front of her, contemplating every aspect of the question.

"It is not '_dependent_' on the Uchihas per say," she explained, "but since they were the ones who woke it, so to speak, it has fixated on them. It could technically take any human being as host, if that human is willing and/or easy to manipulate, but the Uchihas have a very powerful kekkei genkai that, combined with the demon's own powers, mutated to the Mangekyo Sharingan, which is an even more powerful weapon. This weapon is a guaranteed result of the take over and with other clans and other kekkei genkai it does not have that guarantee."

"So why kill them?" another elder asked again, getting impatient.

"There were several reasons," Itachi said before Sakura could answer. "It did not always share it's thoughts with me, nor everything that happened in the outside world, only those things it deemed cruel and painful for me, so I cannot give a full recount of the last twelve years. But it did share what happened that day and why. It was… amused by the pain it's actions and intentions caused me."

Taking a deep breath he carried on, trying to ignore the pitying looks the witnesses and even some of the elders gave him.

"It was unsure about my body's ability to contain it's power, from what it said that had been a problem in the past. So it decided to test it's control over my body and it's ability to use it's natural powers by killing my… my father." Here he paused and tried to steady his voice that was slowly getting weaker and quieter. His hands started shaking as he recalled the events the monster had shown him over and over again.

"Father was helpless against it; there was nothing he could do to save himself. But I was able to, …for a short moment, to take back control as I tried to fight that… that thing in my mind, and I mislead the blow intended to kill him into a wall. It overpowered me again and… and finished what it had intended. To punish me, it killed my mother…"

Seeing that he was unable to go on, Sakura took up the retelling from here, while Kakashi put a hand on Itachi's shoulder and comforted him as best as he could.

"As far as I can tell," she spoke quietly, "the demon decided then that it's new body was far more capable than all previous ones and that this body would sustain it for a long amount of time, enough time even to recover it's natural body."

"So it destroyed them because they were no longer useful, is that it?"

"Yes and no." Itachi had caught himself again and answered. "On the off chance that it would not find it's body soon enough, it did consider letting some of us live. But in the end it decided against that, out of anger towards our family. Many of our ancestors were able to withstand it's manipulations and passed the test, leaving it body-less and exhausted, so it had to wait another generation to try again. For that it loathed us. It planned to extinguish us and build a new clan, teaching them to embrace the powers of the Mangekyo and to strive on hate."

His words echoed in the dark room and the elders exchanged troubled looks, but decided to first continue with their prepared questions.

"So why let the younger brother life?"

Sakura looked at Itachi again, wanting him to answer. This was far more personal and should have been reserved for Sasuke's ears only, but they had little choice now.

"Because for all it's skills in manipulation it was easily tricked by the prospect of having two hosts to quicken it's plans." The older Uchiha's voice was quiet and almost a whisper. "I told it how strong my brother was and what an excellent body he would make, luring it with the promise of having two instead of one this time and that Sasuke would be easily swayed into pure hatred by seeing his own brother kill his family." He looked at Sasuke for the first time that day and the younger man's breath caught in his throat when their eyes met.

"I wanted you to life, so you could succeed where I failed. So you would pass the test and stop me."

An eternity seemed to pass for Sasuke as all the implications of his brother's words became clear for him. Itachi had wanted him to hate him, to become stronger for his family, but above all he had wanted Sasuke to kill him. And even though that had also been his intention since that fateful day, the reasons were entirely different. Sasuke now knew that his brother was not at fault and regretted not trying to find the explanations on his own, before running to the snake and blindly rushing along the path of destruction. His brother had saved his life and he had repaid him with hate and disgust. Some family they were…

"Why did it join the Akatsuki? You said it's power may even surpass that of the Kyubi, so why join an organisation that is obviously no match for it?" The voice of Utatane Koharu pulled Sasuke out of his thoughts and he concentrated on the here and now again.

"Because they have the same goal," Sakura answered this question, "or largely the same. I doubt the Akatsuki really know the creature they are planning to summon with their actions."

"The statue they are hoping to use for their plans of world domination," she elaborated, "is the body of the Mangekyo demon, sealed away by the spirits, and it's only way to break that seal, is to channel the power of all biju into it. The demon discovered how to find and free it's body in one of his previous hosts, but was unable to reach it's goal before he was banned. After taking Itachi it found out about the Akatsuki's plans and decided to let them do most of the work. By joining them, it had unlimited access to the statue and was able to make sure everything went according to it's own plans. Until Naruto proofed a little too difficult to catch, that is..."

She smiled at the blond boy and he grinned back.

"Very well," Tsunade knew there was one question now burning in all their minds, although it had not been discussed during the recess. "That only leaves one last point to be discussed."

"Itachi, you said it planned to build a new clan." She looked him in the eyes, her voice urgent. "Did it succeed?"

The older Uchiha swallowed hard and looked to the ground, his hands balled into fists, his voice shaking.

"Yes, there is a child." He told them with difficulty. He hadn't even told Sakura-san about this and he knew she was staring at him in shock without having to look up, he could feel her eyes on him.

"A little girl. The mother was one of the lower class healers they have contracted and it swore her to secrecy about the father's identity. After… after the birth it killed her and took the baby away from the Akatsuki hideout." Tears welled up in his eyes as the picture of the small child with blue eyes and small puffs of jet-black hair lingered in his mind.

"It took her to a monastery or a temple in the mountains until she would be older, because it lacked the patience to bring her up itself. It greatly enjoyed the thought that the child of a demon would grow up on such sacred grounds."

"It didn't even give her a name…" His voice faded as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

Bleak silence followed his words as Tsunade dismissed the meeting with a few hand signals and everyone filed out, leaving Team 7 and the two Uchihas standing in the darkened room alone, all of them lost in their own troubled thoughts.

* * *

**A/N: So this is a little shorter then the last one, but in essence it is only the conclusion of the hearing and therefore there's not as much to tell. Like the last one it is heavy on dialogue, which has the same reason as in the last chapter – it needed to be said, and since the characters can't read minds, it has to be said out loud.**

**The lyrics at the beginning are partials of the song 'Nemo' by Nightwish, they pretty much describe the confusion the main characters are in and how lost they feel now that everything's out in the open.**

**Please, don't be angry with Ino, she's not trying to be mean to Sakura, she's just very confused and shocked right now. It was weird enough for her to be the only one to ever meet Inner Sakura before, but now she also has the added burden of knowing what she really saw that day and that her best friend has in a way been combined with that 'thing'. I see Ino as someone who cares very deeply for Sakura, but mostly for the Sakura that was her friend when they were kids and she has sometimes problems seeing her as the grown up Sakura and accepting the changes she missed while they were on the outs. Here she has trouble accepting Inner Sakura, because she thinks this spirit is somehow using (and changing) her best friend. So, of course, she doesn't trust the spirit and reacts the only way she knows how – by distancing herself and trying to come to terms with it on her own.**

**I wrestled a long time with myself about whether to put in the child or leave it out completely, but in the end I decided for it, because, in this story, Itachi is already about 25 and Naruto has so far evaded the Akatsuki's attempts to capture him, so the demon saw it's time running out and went ahead with it's contingency plan. **

**Thank you to all reviewers. Thank you Angel Blossoms, Kiwako, Lady Azura, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, Sirona of Arabia, I.Plead.Ignorance, blackfphoenix, sakura90873, honouring death, Michiru, Sana N and moodiful819!**

**blackfphoenix: Foreshadowing? Yes, but in more ways than one…**

**So, I hope you like it and pleas, review.**

**See you next time**


	8. Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 08

**Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!

* * *

**

_I am the son  
and the heir  
of a shyness that is criminally vulgar  
I am the son and the heir  
of nothing in particular _

You shut your mouth  
how can you say  
I go about things the wrong way  
I am human and I need to be loved  
just like everybody else does

_There's a club that you'd like to go  
You could meet someone, who really loves you  
So you go, and you stand on your own  
And you leave on your own  
And you go home, and you cry  
And you want to die _

When you say its gonna happen now  
When exactly do you mean?  
See I've already waited too long  
And all my hope is gone

* * *

After the hearing was over Team 7 had been sent home to pack and the two Uchihas were brought back into the hospital. The news of Sasuke's return had been announced that evening and it was decided that the two would be safer there for the time being. On late Sunday afternoon, just after dusk had set in, the ANBU had escorted them to their old residence, using a concealment jutsu and travelling on streets less frequented by Konoha's citizens, where they were delivered into the custody of Sakura and Naruto. Sai and Yamato arrived shortly after the ANBU left.

Sasuke stared at the black gates guarding his family's home. Now they were only waiting for their last babysitter to show up – Kakashi had, apparently, gotten lost on the road of life again. Either that or he had even more junk to bring along than Naruto, who had shown up with no less than three big travelling bags and four boxes, claiming they were filled with _'important_ _mission stuff'_.

_Right, as if nobody could see straight through that one_. The boxes were probably brimming with equal amounts of instant ramen and porn, if the fearful looks the dobe was shooting in Sakura's direction every now and then were anything to go by…

The kunoichi on the other hand only had one suspiciously _small_ duffel bag slung over her shoulders and Sasuke had to wonder how she would get by for the next six months (or longer) with nothing more than the few outfits that could possibly fit into it. Not to mention without her books and all that other stuff he'd always imagined her home cluttered with…

Hovering near her shoulder was that stupidly grinning clown they'd taken on as his replacement, directing pointed glares at Sasuke and generally making a nuisance of himself by calling everyone names and acting like a six-year old on his first trip to an amusement park. God, he hadn't spoken five words with the guy and he already hated him.

"Can't we just go in without the old pervert?" the Kyubi boy lamented, causing Sakura to bestow him with a disapproving look.

"He'll be here in a minute, Naruto. Whining about it is _not_ gonna make him walk faster, you know…"

"Yeah, listen to the Hag and keep quiet, Dickless!"

Ink Boy was obviously even dumber than the dobe, if that was at all possible, and the younger Uchiha was puzzled as to how this amoeba had accomplished to stay alive in Sakura's company for so long. The fact that he hadn't even had the presence of mind to duck after finishing his vulgarities and was now lying unconscious on the floor, courtesy of Sakura's elbow in his face, by no means complimented his survival instinct. Well, at least he was finally quiet…

"Yo."

"You're late!" The three youngest chorused and Itachi eyed them warily, a little thrown by their coordination after so many years of separation. Kakashi on the other hand took it with calm and ignored the comment, already busy pushing open the gates.

"Someone pick up Sai and drag him along," he ordered his motley crew of adolescents, but they in turn ignored him and walked through the gates without a backwards glance at the unconscious ANBU. Sighing Kakashi turned to Yamato and Itachi and gestured with his chin towards the two bags he was carrying, giving the other men a pleading look to pick up the artist nin and his belongings. Itachi, having no bags of his own, threw him over his shoulder, while Yamato took his bag.

Sasuke went straight for the main house, Naruto and Sakura tagging along. They stopped on the patio, and waited for the rest so they could start to distribute rooms.

"I never thought there'd come a day when I'd have to live in the same house with Sai, the hair-gel obsessed fashion victim…" grumbled the kunoichi and Naruto agreed that it was indeed a fate worse than anything he'd ever imagined.

A few minutes later they had all gathered on the patio, standing in a loose circle, the artist-nin sitting dazedly in the middle – Itachi had dropped him as soon as possible after realizing he was coming around again. He couldn't quite come to terms with the fact that the artist looked so much like his younger brother, well, aside from the weird outfit.

The older Uchiha made it clear that he would not be moving back into his old home, but rather one of the smaller houses next to it, and no one questioned his decision. However Sasuke had no objections against taking up residence in his old rooms and had already declared his wish to do so.

Now they just needed to figure out who would move in with which Uchiha and Sakura would be damned if she couldn't talk her way out of doing either. Neither Kakashi nor Naruto were anywhere close to her idea of an ideal roommate, not to mention that her sharing a house with Sai was a train wreck waiting to happen.

"How about this?" She asked at large, "Kakashi and Yamato go with Itachi, and Naruto and Sai go with Sasuke. And since it's improper for young, impressionable women, like myself, to live all alone in the same house with three _big_ _bad_ men, I'll just take that small, cosy house over there."

Sasuke sincerely doubted that the Sakura he had encountered in the council chamber was in any way _impressionable_ or the prim and proper damsel in distress she was making herself out to be. Nevertheless, her suggestion was practical and sensible, as he couldn't quite imagine her living in such close quarters with Naruto and not destroying his house along the way. It was probably safer for all of them to keep her as far away as possible from Kakashi's, as well as the dobe's, more questionable belongings.

"Alright," Kakashi agreed with her. "It's been a long few days, so let's just tidy up the bedrooms, and call it a night. We'll decide tomorrow where to start with the restoration."

The small group broke apart and went to their respective houses. Secretly Sasuke was relieved that his brother had refused to live in his old quarters, as he was still a little unsure about being in such a close proximity with him. The knowledge of Itachi's innocence didn't erase all those years of hate, nor the nightmares of the horrors he'd seen the last time they'd both been in this house together.

Taking a last look at the other men walking towards the neighbouring building, he saw Sakura bid them good night and take Itachi's hand, squeezing it. She smiled at his brother and he couldn't quite control the burning in his guts. She was supposed to concentrate on him, like she'd always done when they were kids, not go and give all her attention to his brother.

Puzzled by her defending Itachi the day he'd woken up, Sasuke had since convinced himself that she was actually doing all this for him. The hearing, the explanations, digging up answers – all this work had to be for his benefit, to better understand what happened to his family – or so he'd thought.

But here she was, smiling at Itachi as if she'd all but forgotten about her beloved _Sasuke-kun_ and he had a hard time combining this picture with the girl he'd known before…

The next morning Sasuke was up first, unable to go back to sleep after waking up in a cold sweat. The night had been rough – the smell of the old house combined with the creaks of the wood had enlivened the imaginative part of his subconscious and the result had been a nightmare of epic proportions.

_The dobe's snoring hadn't helped either…_

Sitting on the front steps he waited for the others to wake up and observed the premises. Many of the buildings were ruined; they'd have to tear them down sooner or later. But the real work lay in fixing the ones that could be preserved. He could make out loose drains and roof shingles, broken windows, half-collapsed walls and everywhere wood parts that needed replacing.

The furniture on the other hand, seemed to have survived the lack of repairs over the last few years rather well and were merely in great need of dusting. According to Kakashi, he and a few members of the several clans had covered everything with linen cloths on order of the clan heads. The copy-nin had told him about the decision the clan leaders had made after his defection and he felt grateful for their interference. Without it, the council could have very well destroyed his home completely – in face of that, the ruinous state it was in didn't quite seem as bad.

The chill morning air was clear and the sun was just coming up as the first noises of human life erupted around him. He saw Sakura emerge from the little house she'd chosen for herself, obviously still half asleep. She spotted him through slitted eyes and slouched down gracelessly one step below him.

He eyed her without turning his head, she looked exhausted – the dark circles under her eyes marring her fair skin and her hair was limp. Come to think of it, the water wasn't working, as he'd unfortunately discovered the wrong way earlier, so she was obviously not ready for the day yet. Unless of course she'd contented herself with bottled water and a washing cloth, like he had done. Not very efficient, but better than nothing…

"Anyone else awake?" she mumbled, her eyes closed and her forehead resting on her knees.

He shook his head and realized too late that she couldn't see him, but didn't answer out loud anyway. She should be used to his silence, why change now…

"I'll take that as a no. Do you have water over here? Or electricity, for that matter?"

"Hn."

"No coffee then, great…" She paused. "How's your head?"

"It's fine."

He heard her sigh and rummage in her pocket. Without opening her eyes she held a small pill bottle up to his face and shook it a little, urging him to take it.

"Try these; at least they'll dampen the pain a little."

He took the pills and stuffed them in his pocket, vowing silently not to use them.

They stayed silent after that and half an hour later the rest had gathered around them, trotting over one by one. Sasuke noticed Itachi was wearing their father's kimono again and his own lack of wardrobe came back to the forefront of his mind. He'd salvaged an old shirt and pants from his father's closet this morning, but that wasn't exactly a perfect solution. Dread filled him as he realized he'd have to go shopping. And for his brother as well, since he wasn't allowed to leave the premises – not to mention the ruckus his appearance in the streets would cause.

"Okay, let's make some plans for the day." As the captain of the team, Kakashi started handing out tasks. "First of all, Sasuke and Itachi need clothes, so Sakura," she raised her head at the mention of her name, "you'll take Sasuke and go shopping with him."

"I'm not going shopping with _her_," Sasuke protested immediately, unaware of the flash in her eyes that made both Kakashi and Naruto take a step backwards.

"You'd rather take Naruto or Sai?" The copy-nin asked sceptically, eyebrow raised and nose a little wrinkled at the thought of those two bringing the Uchiha home in an orange, cropped muscle shirt.

Sasuke had a quite similar vision after taking short glances at the two shinobi in question and quickly decided that Sakura would be the lesser of two evils. She did have a lot more sensitive taste than either of the boys and she was also a lot better company, since she had apparently learned to be quieter during his absence.

"Sakura will be fine." He told Kakashi and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. "Let's go."

"Wait," the copy-nin stopped him. "You know, in _this_ part of the world? …You need money to buy something. And, since you are still not fully cleared by the council, as the captain of this mission, I'm your trustee. So, you're gonna have to wait till I _give_ you that money…"

Kakashi was grinning under that stupid mask of his, Sasuke could feel it and glared at the older man. He wasn't even allowed free access to his inheritance, great, just great. And the older man would no doubt exploit this newfound power to the utmost degree.

"Good, now that we understand each other… Yamato, you'll go buy groceries. Naruto, Itachi and Sai, you three will begin the clean up. Start with the main house. I'll go and get the water and power turned back on. After that I'll help here. Okay, that's it for now."

He handed Sakura a wallet and took her by the arm leading her a few feet away from the Uchiha. Speaking in a low whisper he hoped the boy wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Just get casual things for now, none of them will need a uniform in the foreseeable future. Use Sasuke's measurements for Itachi's clothes, only take the shirts one size bigger, Itachi's shoulders are a little wider. And don't ever mention the name Itachi while you're out there, it's gonna be rough enough with the citizens' resentment towards Sasuke."

"I'm gonna be careful, don't worry."

"Good. And make sure _he_," the copy-nin nodded in Sasuke's direction, "doesn't look like a character from a Stephen King novel when you bring him back, alright?"

"Will do. Bye."

Sasuke could feel the stares, even though the passers-by tried to hide them. Most looked afraid of him and quickly turned their heads whenever his gaze met them, but once past him they would turn and stare. It was annoying to say the least, infuriating would actually be an even better word. _Didn't they have better things to do?_

The whispers and pointed fingers weren't helping his temper either. Yes, he had expected a cold welcome, but this gossip mongering was ridiculous. If they would just come up to him and speak their hatred out loud, he could defend himself, or better yet, turn his back on them and ignore them. But this way they had the upper hand, because he didn't know what they were saying about him and how can you defend yourself against the unknown…

Sakura must have felt it too, as she held herself upright, jaws clenched defiantly, showing everyone that she still stood by his side. Some part of him was grateful, but there was still his damned pride and it wouldn't let a _woman_ defend his honour, so he widened the space between them a little.

Finally they reached the shopping district and Sakura pointed out several stores for men's clothing, he remembered some of them from the past, but he couldn't care less where the clothes came from, so long as he had some.

"Whatever." Hands in his pockets, he kept his gaze forward and walked into the first store – the sooner they would get this over with, the sooner he could get away from the crowded streets.

Fifteen minutes later he had two armfuls of shirts and pants, and gestured for Sakura to pay for them. She shook her head, exasperated with his behaviour, and put her hands on her hips.

"You didn't even try them on! How do you know if they fit or not?"

"They fit."

"Right. And if they don't we'll just have to come back tomorrow and start all over again. …I don't think so! Now get into that changing room and put those clothes on, or I'll drag you in there and put them on for you!" He'd never known her to be quite so straight forward and the anger in her eyes made him step back a little. He still wasn't fully recovered and if the snake's tales of Tsunade's inhuman strength were true, he wouldn't survive an encounter with her apprentice's fist just yet.

"Fine." Having a little more sense than that idiot artist, he chose to yield rather than fight a battle he wouldn't win.

Sakura waited in front of the changing room for him to show off his choices and when he finally did, all her worst case scenarios seemed harmless in face of the real end result. There was not one smidgen of colour to be found on the loose and roomy outfit, everything was black in black. And, while he did have the arrogance to pull it off, his pale complexion and dark hair only enforced the whole 'creature of the night' look he seemed to be aiming for. But it would do nothing to gain the people's trust and overall acceptance; rather it would only drive them further into their fear of him. This just wouldn't do…

"You look like a cheap extra from Buffy." She told him and only received a questioning look in return. She rubbed her right temple and sighed. "They don't have television in Oto, do they?"

Again he only looked at her puzzled – _what did that ridiculous entertainment device have to do with his clothes? _

"Right." She was finished treating him like an adult – if he wanted to play the immature teenage rebel, she would treat him like one. Pushing him back behind the curtain, she told him to take off that Halloween costume and wait for her to bring him some decent things.

"I'm not wearing green!" His outraged voice boomed from behind the curtain five minutes later and she rolled her eyes. She quickly peeked inside and assessed the situation.

"You're right," she told him nonchalantly. "It clashes with the bluish tint in your hair. Try the reds and blues. And the grey ones will fit too. Just make sure you have _something_ other than black."

His eyes bulged as he saw her watching him and he pulled the curtain closed again with a huff.

_Insolent vixen!_

It took them two hours to agree on the colours and another hour to agree on the size. He had an affinity for wide clothing and she thought he looked like a little boy playing dress up with his father's wardrobe. Suffice to say he wasn't amused by that comment.

"Look," she finally told him, "you still want to revive your clan and bring it back to it's old glory, right?"

He nodded, unsure where this line of questioning was going.

"And you still wanna be the leader of this new Uchiha clan, correct?"

Again he nodded.

"Then you're gonna have to act like a leader and not some _punk_ who runs a street gang!" They were inside the changing room to keep the conversation more private and her voice was low but sharp and he had the distinct feeling of being patronized.

His grandmother had been very good at making him feel this way and Sakura was obviously channelling her right now. It made him a little squeamish, he didn't like associating her with any of his family members – she was a different part of his life and he wanted it to stay that way, blurring the lines was not going to help him reacquaint himself with his old team again.

"And clothes," she continued, "are the first step to becoming that leader. To be accepted by the other clans and by the general public you have to dress the part. You can't walk around looking like a _ghoul_. How often did your father wear nothing but black, when he wasn't on missions or attending a funeral?"

He grumbled something that sounded vaguely like 'never' and she gave a triumphant smile.

"Exactly! If you want to get along with the other clans and not be excluded by them, you're gonna have to conform. If they don't trust you, they'll never trust your clan. As a leader you're a representative and as such you have standards to uphold. First is your outer appearance, it should be flawless, coordinated, neat and, most of all, _not_ scare little children!"

"How do you know so much about this anyway?" He had to admit that he was rather curious; he'd never pegged her to concern herself with clan politics. As far as he knew she didn't even have a clan…

"I… have my sources." Her eyes shifted towards the curtain and she seemed suddenly uncomfortable. He observed her carefully, trying to catch her gaze, but she avoided eye contact at all costs. _What was she hiding?_

"Just take the things I gave you and I'll go get some clothes for Ita… our _guest_." She was out of the changing room before he could blink and left him puzzled. Shaking his head he gathered the mountain of clothes and looked at it disdainfully. Ugh, she'd even smuggled in some multicoloured shirts. God, how he hated that she was right about this…

Once they'd met up again and paid for everything, Sakura send him into an underwear store and rattled of a list of the things he and his brother would need, as if he didn't know such things himself. He had been living on his own since he was eight and the girl actually thought he _still_ needed help buying boxers.

At that moment he loathed this new Sakura – the old one would have never so much as _thought_ about talking about his underwear, much less his brother's!

"And don't forget some socks!" She finished her list and started towards the cash register. "Meet me over there in half an hour, so we can pay it all and go buy you some shoes."

"What, you don't want to make _this_ one into a fashion show too?" He hoped she'd recognize the sarcasm in his voice and consider it a reprimand, as it was the only chance of payback he had at the moment – the council could misinterpret any kind of harsher treatment and get rid off him without asking questions. He wasn't gonna risk his life over a pair of boxer shorts.

"Nah, that'd be boring. You couldn't _possibly_ top Kakashi's Dragon Ball boxers."

Three days later that sentence still haunted him. What was she doing seeing Kakashi's underwear? Or even worse – Kakashi _in_ his underwear?!

He was her teacher for heaven's sake – she should _not_ know _anything_ about his boxers…

They were currently working on the porch of Itachi's house, the floorboards were rotten as the dobe had discovered earlier by sinking his foot through them and getting stuck.

At least they had running water now…

The main house was as good as new, only a few minor blemishes were left, but those could wait. Naruto's enormous number of bunshin had sped things up a great deal and the three buildings chosen for living would be mostly finished by the end of the week. After that they could concentrate on the vacant ones.

Even Kakashi's nin-dogs had been roped into helping, to scent out rodents and mould infestations, but those had, thankfully, not been widely spread and were easily taken care of.

Looking over his handiwork on the floorboards, Sasuke stood up and turned towards the front door. The dobe was working on the railing, while Sakura was inside cleaning up with the three inhabitants. The stupid artist-nin had gotten on the wrong end of Sakura's fist again and had 'taken the afternoon off', so to speak.

Laughter drifted through the air, female laughter, and, curiosity roused, he peeked through one of the windows. She was crouching next to his brother, laughing, smiling. She had been spending a lot of time with Itachi – it seemed, whenever he looked up he saw them together, talking or even playing around. His brother was surprisingly open with her, carefree even, and Sasuke didn't know how to deal with this new side of him.

Or this new Sakura for that matter. She'd always been drawn to people in need of human kindness, but he couldn't understand how there was not the least bit of residual resentment towards the face of the man who'd hunted and attempted to kill one of her best friends. He'd accepted Itachi's innocence, but his brother's face was still the same face he'd seen twelve years ago spattered with his parents' blood. He couldn't help remembering almost every time he looked at him…

Kakashi too was concentrating his attention on his brother, apparently they'd been comrades in their time as ANBU, and at times it looked as if the copy-nin was actually avoiding Sasuke, but going out of his way to be at Itachi's side.

Come to think of it, only Sai and Yamato kept their distance from the older Uchiha, but they weren't too eager to spend time with the younger one either. And they didn't really count anyway, as they hadn't been part of the team before he left. But Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto were _his_ friends – or rather they had been; now he wasn't so sure. Shouldn't they be trying to spend as much time with him as they could?

Sure, Naruto was constantly there, blubbering about this and that, mostly about the Hyuga girl, but even he left at times and then he could usually be found somewhere near Itachi, talking, joking, as if they'd never been enemies.

_Did they think Itachi was more deserving of their attention? _

He couldn't deny that his own actions may have turned them away, whereas Itachi had never willingly hurt them. So, despite the way they had defended him in court, they still thought him a traitor…

Something inside him broke then and he could feel the pain resonating in his every cell, but there would be no pills or potions to lessen this ache, after all, not even Sakura and her vast medical skills could bandage a broken soul.

Clenching his fists, he returned to his work.

By noon on Saturday they'd finished their three houses and were now spending the afternoon apart, each of them busy decorating their respective bedroom and putting away personal things like books and furniture they had relocated from their old homes the day before.

Sasuke's belongings on the other hand were already where they should be, as he had foregone the main bedroom in favour of his old childhood room – his parents' chambers had been cleaned, but otherwise were left untouched, too many dark memories were associated with them.

With nothing to do but sit around, Sasuke had decided to read a little, but soon found himself too uneasy to stay still for long. Currently he was pacing the length of his room, unable to calm the storm thundering in his mind. It wouldn't stop wreaking havoc with his thoughts, whirling pictures of the last few days before his inner eyes and it was driving him crazy.

He hadn't slept the last two nights, not really. The nightmares would kick in soon after he fell asleep and he'd be up again an hour later, two at the most. So he would pace the night away, counting his steps in the vain hope of tiring himself out, or at the very least break the unhealthy line of thought his mind insisted on following.

Night or day, he just couldn't stop thinking. His mind wouldn't shut down and let him rest; it just kept on going in circles. About Itachi, about the old Team 7 and how much they'd all changed which in turn led to Sakura and how much she'd matured while he'd been in Oto, drowning in self-pity. And thoughts of Sakura would inevitably lead back to his brother, because she was still spending more time with him than Sasuke felt comfortable with.

Everything in his head was on constant repeat, every conversation he'd had since waking up in the hospital, every facial expression those around him had given at one point or another. And now he could no longer deny the bleak conclusion his subconscious had drawn days ago, it was inevitable.

His team had left him behind in his absence, they'd found themselves on a path leading to grander things, while he'd been stuck in his revenge, stagnant. And now that he was back and all the loose ends were finally tied up neatly, they were free to move on, away from him…

And towards Itachi.

And why shouldn't they – after all, the firstborn of Uchiha Fugaku had always been the better of the two brothers, hadn't he? Even his own father had thought so, no wonder his friends had eventually come to the same conclusion.

He looked at his hands, the very hands that had tried to kill his only friends more than once. The hands that had, a scant two weeks ago, wrapped themselves around Sakura's throat with the full intend to end her life.

Maybe it would be better to just give up now, to let them go. Maybe everyone would be better off without him anyway. At least then he wouldn't hurt them anymore.

A loud knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts and he whirled around to face it, queasy at the thought of having to be in their presence.

"Oi, teme! Baa-chan's here to check up on us. Didn't you say you wanted to talk to her?"

Sasuke didn't answer and listened as Naruto's footsteps faded. On the one hand he _did_ want to talk to the old drunk about the snake's demise, figure out what kind of game she was playing with the council and, more importantly, which role he had in it. But on the other hand he didn't want to place himself in too small a room with all of them; his current state of mind could very well lead to disaster should a confrontation about his mood ensue.

He had distanced himself over the week, fallen into the role of observer rather than trying to wilfully insert himself into their lives. He'd watched them make a home out of a ghost town, slowly filling it with light – but the light wouldn't reach him, no matter how hard he struggled with himself to take the final step out of the shadows.

Would they really welcome him back with open arms or would they turn to Itachi? And did he have the strength to win back their trust and attention or was this another exercise that his brother surpassed him in?

Did it even matter anymore?

"You coming, teme?" Naruto shouted from the stairwell and Sasuke found his feed following the sound.

On the patio he saw the Hokage talking quietly with Sakura, apparently she'd finished her 'check up' since the others were already leaving again. Sakura noticed him first and smiled.

"Sasuke." Her voice made the Hokage turn to him and Sakura excused herself.

"I am told you wish to speak with me. In private, Sakura said."

"Hn."

They walked towards the training grounds in silence and he tried to formulate a plan of action. He couldn't just come out and ask – he had noticed her nervous escape that day in the hospital room; something was fishy about this whole 'guardian angel' story. So if he called her on it, she would most likely just clam up and tell him he had misinterpreted her words. But he would eventually have to bring the conversation around to the snake sannin and he had a feeling it wouldn't be easy without rousing her suspicion.

"You are wondering why I led the council to believe you killed Orochimaru." She surprised him with her forwardness; he hadn't expected her to just give it up. His plans shot to hell, he decided to be open about it.

"Yes. You said my mind couldn't withstand his jutsu and shut down, so I couldn't have killed him."

"And indeed you didn't." _So much for straight forward, she was still beating around the bush. _

"So, who did?"

"Let me ask you a question first, Wonder Boy."

"Stop calling me that!" He was tired of this – if she didn't intend to answer his questions, he'd rather she just said that instead of playing twenty questions with him.

"I can call you what I want, brat, that's the bonus of being Hokage. Now, just answer me this: didn't you ever wonder _why_ he didn't perform the body switch when you were sixteen, as was his original plan? Or were you too busy feeling sorry for yourself?"

"I did wonder, but it didn't matter one way or another." Hoping she'd be satisfied with that, he stopped walking at the edge of the field and crossed his arms over his chest. With his eyes narrowed he made it clear that that was all she would get out of him.

"I thought as much." She had stopped as well and leaned against one of the large boulders marking the perimeter. "Very well, I guess I owe you an explanation."

"When your old team failed to bring you back and I saw our time running out, I made a deal. A deal that wasn't sanctioned by the council, to be exact. Orochimaru had one fatal weakness and from our time as team mates I knew how to exploit it. But the council would have never agreed to the terms, so I kept it secret from the very beginning and in the end I had to tie it up by naming you as his killer."

"You stationed a spy in Oto?"

"No, I _persuaded_ a spy in Oto. He was already there – I just had to entice him to help me."

He looked at her searchingly, trying to catch her lying. No one in the Sound village had seemed even remotely willing to betray the snake, except for himself of course. Everyone else had worshipped the freak.

"It was very simple, actually. All we had to do was play Orochimaru's weakness against him and I was assured he would leave you alone until your twenty-first birthday. You see, my old team mate was a perfectionist, to the point of being obsessive. That applied to his wish to learn every jutsu ever invented just as much as to his appearance. To put it simple, he was vain, as vain as it gets."

_Look who's talking!_

"And yes," she cut of his sarcastic remark before he had even opened his mouth, as if reading his mind. "I do realize that might sound hypocritical coming from me, but, contrary to popular believes, I like my face, I always have. I just don't like to see it wrinkled. The genjutsu does not actually change my looks; it just portrays them as they once were."

"But Orochimaru chose his bodies not only for their abilities, but also for their appearance. He chose his faces by the taste of the moment, and that is a level of vanity I will never reach. Your body was no different there. His primary objective was to gain the Sharingan, but if you had looked like some kind of hybrid between an ogre and a frog, he could have just as easily transplanted your eyes into a more appealing body."

"No, he wanted _you_, body and eyes. But your body wasn't fully developed at age sixteen, it was still growing and changing into what it is now. So, all my spy had to do was drop a few comments in his presence about the possible side effects the jutsu could have on your body's development and voila! He didn't touch you until your body was fully grown. As you can see, it worked."

"Would there have been side effects?" He had to admit the plan, simple as it may be, was rather conniving.

"Of course not, but what did he know about medicine…"

"Why the secrecy?" That was what interested him the most and for all her storytelling, she hadn't mentioned a thing about it. The council had employed spies before, there was no reason they wouldn't have agreed to this plan.

"The payment." She sighed and stared off into the distance. "You see, I didn't do it for Konoha or even for you. But I saw Sakura and Naruto getting more and more desperate with every passing day. Every minute we waited was one more minute lost. And the pain in their eyes reminded me of myself. I know what it feels like to loose someone you care for, to see your team breaking apart. Someone you trust is suddenly your enemy and still, all you want to do is take his hand and tell him to come home."

"I did it for them. I sold my integrity, so history wouldn't repeat itself." She looked back at him, her face stern, and their eyes met. "If it had been only about Konoha or myself, I would have never done it. Not for anything in this world."

"Why not?"

"Your life came at too high a price."

And then the pieces started to fit together and he could see the whole picture. Not many people in Oto had been close enough to the snake to actually make their opinion matter. And one of those people had disappeared – in a puff of smoke never to be heard of again, so to speak – right after his fight with the sannin. His name hadn't been mentioned during their prior conversation and he doubted the council even knew he had been there in the first place.

"Kabuto's freedom." His voice held no question.

"Yes. He made sure you would be alive and still in control of your body when you returned to Konoha and I made sure he would never be persecuted. As long as I'm Hokage, I will not send anyone after him and he has all the privacy he needs to conduct his so called experiments. I sold my soul to the devil, Wonder Boy. You'd better appreciate it."

With that she left and he followed a few minutes later, walking slowly, lost in thought. So Kabuto, of all people, had saved his life. And Konoha's elders would have rather seen him dead than make an uncomfortable deal to get him back. Now that didn't exactly fill him with warmth, seemed the Sharingan wasn't worth as much to them as he'd assumed.

"Sasuke."

He looked up and saw Sakura running towards him, his brother trailing behind her – it didn't surprise him anymore. She seemed excited and was smiling in a way that he hadn't seen in a long time. He stopped and waited for her to reach him.

"Shishou just told us, that the council gave permission to retrieve Itachi's daughter from the temple. We just have to locate it." So this was about his brother again, he should have known she wouldn't smile like that for him. She either missed or ignored his frown and kept on. "I thought you might want to help us. You travelled a lot when you were away, didn't you?"

"Hn."

"Great. Why don't you two go get a table ready at the main house and I'll go fetch some of my maps?" And she was of again, leaving Itachi at his side. They stood in silence and Sasuke felt discomforted at their close proximity.

_Stupid little vixen just had to interfere again, hadn't she? _

Just as with everyone else, he'd kept his distance from his brother. They hadn't exchanged much more than simple and short greetings in the mornings, although Itachi had tried for more a few times. Apparently Sakura had decided it was time for them to _bond_.

But Sasuke just couldn't talk to him yet, especially now that it looked as if his friends were more interested in his brother than him. And Itachi didn't exactly try to get away from them.

He looked over at his brother, eyes hidden behind his bangs, and saw him watching Sakura's retreating back. He didn't like the affection he could see in Itachi's eyes and all the pent up anger that had been brewing in him over the last week, suddenly erupted as the rational side of his brain took a break.

"Stop staring at her!" He snapped and Itachi stared at him in shock. "She's not yours to stare at."

"What?"

Itachi's eyes widened, but his question was lost on Sasuke. Just the sound of his voice, the voice of the man who had killed his parents, drove him deeper into rage and Itachi didn't have time to evade the fist coming straight at his face.

Sasuke concentrated only on the face of a monster as he kicked and hit it with everything he had. His chakra was still low, but he could fight without it – he had nothing to loose anyway.

"Sasuke, no!"

He barely even heard her…

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait. (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry) This chapter is mostly a filler that leads up to the revelations in the next one and I knew what I wanted to happen and where it should go, but I had a hard time actually writing it. Writer's block I guess. I hear it happens to the best of us…**

**I hope this conveys Sasuke's journey and his state of mind appropriately. As I've mentioned in previous chapters, he doesn't deal well with confusion. And the way I see it, there were only two ways he could have dealt with it. The first would have been to actually talk to his brother and start to make sense of his life again, to take control and analyse the situation objectively.**

**But since he's emotionally crippled due to his history, he chose the second way, which is bottling it up and not dealing with it at all. So he pushed it back down and closed it off, causing it to eat away at him. And since he doesn't know how to handle a feeling such as confusion he turned it into a feeling he could understand and deal with – anger.**

**Everything's just piling up inside of him and in the end he lost his hold of all that anger and exploded.**

**Of course Sakura, Naruto and co. aren't ignoring him in favour of Itachi, but this is mostly from Sasuke's PoV (except for a few moments at the beginning and during the shopping trip) and it is how he perceives it. They're actually trying to divide their time between the two brothers and get them to talk, but Sasuke sees them with Itachi and jumps to conclusions. **

**The lyrics are from the song '_How soon is now?_' by Love Spit Love (yes, it's the theme song to _Charmed_), I like it and it fits actually pretty well with Sasuke.**

**And the shopping scene was just something I had to write, just for the sake of it…**

**Thank you to all my reviewers! Thank you moodiful819, honouring death, Alicia, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, Sirona of Arabia, shadow angel 101, Arashi, silver cherryblossom and onigiri-kun!**

**moodiful: Uhm, not exactly. The demon only intended to build a new clan, but it can't directly procreate with a human woman, since it only controls the body by taking over the mind of its host, but the body (and therefore the semen and DNA) remain Itachi's. So the girl is fully human, but the demon planned to later on teach her (and any siblings she may have had if Sakura and the spirit hadn't freed Itachi) to embrace it's powers and therefore make it easier for the demon to take her (and her descendants) as a host. So she's just a normal little girl and they won't have to kill her.**

**That's it for now; I sincerely apologize again for the wait and hope the next one will not give me as much trouble.**

**Hope you like it and please review.**

**Bye**


	9. Monster in a Box

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 09

**Monster in a Box

* * *

**

_Sein Blick ist vom Vorübergehn der Stäbe_  
_So müd geworden, dass er nichts mehr hält._  
_Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe_  
_Und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt._

_Der weiche Gang geschmeidig starker Schritte,_  
_Der sich im allerkleinsten Kreise dreht,_  
_Ist wie ein Tanz von Kraft um eine Mitte, _  
_In der betäubt ein großer Wille steht._

_Nur manchmal schiebt der Vorhang der Pupille_  
_Sich lautlos auf –. Dann geht ein Bild hinein,_  
_geht durch der Glieder angespannte Stille –_  
_und hört im Herzen auf zu sein.

* * *

_

"Sasuke, no!"

Sakura didn't know what had happened and she wasn't sure if she really cared what had set him off this time. Sasuke was just too surly for his own good. The whole week he'd been distant and grumpy, unresponsive when spoken to. She'd dismissed it as his usual loner attitude, but attacking someone just for the sake of it didn't quite fit into that scheme. There had to be more to this and she would get to the bottom of it – right after she'd given him a lesson in manners.

She'd thought he'd understood that Itachi was innocent, especially right after the hearing, when he'd looked at his brother with an emotion in his eyes that, had he been any other person, might have been interpreted as affection. But now it seemed he'd reverted back to hate and was just beating Itachi in a blind rage. He didn't even notice that his brother wasn't defending himself. And Itachi just took every blow – ridiculously enough, he still thought Sasuke had a right to hate him and that he deserved everything Sasuke was dishing out.

"Sasuke, stop this!"

But he didn't react, didn't even seem to hear her, and she had to change strategies – talking wasn't going to help this time.

Trying to get him as far from Itachi as possible, she sent a flying kick at him and he flew a few yards down the street, towards the training grounds. Apparently he hadn't anticipated an interruption and the shock on his face when he picked himself up was a dead give away for his inattention.

But the shock soon turned to anger and she had no time to make sure Itachi was okay, as Sasuke leapt at her. She could see the older Uchiha was unconscious and bleeding from mouth and nose, but other than that his condition was a mystery. She needed to get this over with fast, but panic and surprise still held her captive and she was unprepared for this fight.

What was worse, was that she had no idea how to make him see the truth. If he really still thought of Itachi as a monster then there was nothing she could do about that, was there?

"Get out of my way, Sakura!"

"The hell I will!"

She blocked Sasuke's advance and stood right in front of his brother. Sasuke wasn't trying to hurt her – that much was obvious – just to stop her from interfering. His blow had been weak and even a genin could have overcome it with minimal scratches.

But she wasn't a genin anymore and his attack felt like a mosquito bite to her…

Did he really think her so fragile and weak that he had to pull his punches just for her? Did he still believe she'd break if he just breathed on her hard enough?

Her blood boiled, her face turning red with anger and the rest of her team, had they been there, would have dragged Sasuke far, far away at the obvious signs of another one of her famous blow ups. But they weren't there and Sasuke was stupid enough to dismiss the change of her aura as insignificant and barged straight at her, Sharingan blazing and fist in the air.

_Get him mad,_ she thought, _get him mad at you and take the focus of Itachi!_

And then she would show him that she was made off tougher stuff and could very well take it up with him in any fight. She'd long ago left the scared little girl behind her and wasn't about to revert back to her childhood self now. He would see…

Again she blocked the blow thrown at her and used her increased strength to spin him around and throw him away.

"Is that all you got, Sasuke?" she taunted him. "I always thought you were stronger than that!"

"Get out of my way, Sakura! This is none of your business."

"Oh, but it is. I won't let you kill an innocent man."

"Stop defending him!"

Instead of answering she smashed her fist into the ground and effectively halted his renewed advance by sending him flying again. Only this time she ran after him to catch him with a kick in mid air, and crouched down to watch him land in the middle of the grassy field, barely able to keep his balance. He really wasn't at the top of his game if he hadn't seen that one coming, especially with his Sharingan activated.

Righting himself, he locked eyes with her and silently berated her for her insolence, but she ignored him. He wasn't advancing this time and maybe she could get through to him now.

"Don't you realize – Itachi wasn't even defending himself!"

But he didn't reply. Instead he ran at her again, his full attention on her now. He got steadily faster and she had trouble keeping up with him. They exchanged blows, neither one wining the upper hand, until one of his kicks caught her by surprise and she only just righted herself in mid air, landing in a crouch and watching him wearily. In his current mind set, there was really no way to predict his moves, since he didn't know them himself and was only barrelling straight ahead.

"**Why are you taking his side!"**

His accusation threw her a little, as she had no idea what he was talking about. Her musings were cut short when his eyes started to change due to the rage inside of him growing stronger. She'd known it was possible after his temper tantrum in the hospital, but to see his eyes dissolve and reform themselves into a three-bladed pinwheel, right in front of her, was not how she had expected to finally find out. The demon had made a last desperate attempt to take Sasuke, but he'd beaten the demon that day, had beaten it and gained the true perfect Sharingan. What should have been a cause for celebration was fast becoming a big problem for her.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice the change; after all, he had no idea that he possessed the Mangekyo yet, or even how to use it. But it obviously gave him a new energy boost and his eyes narrowed a little, a smirk growing on his face, replacing the angry frown.

And then the chirping of birds filled the air and she found herself out of options. Sure, she was stronger now and quite capable of holding her own, but as a medic her first priority was defence and healing, she had nothing to counter this sort of attack with.

However he wasn't looking at her anymore, he was looking at his brother…

Her heart sank and she felt exhausted. There had to be something she could do, only what?

As he set off towards Itachi, she felt helpless – not quite ready to give up, but helpless and weak. Still, she knew she had to stop him, no matter the cost, and the voice she'd come to know as the Spirit urged her forward, between the two. Sakura didn't know what was happening, the Spirit was talking so fast in her head that everything was a little blurry. What she did understand was that she had to be fast and stop him, even if she didn't know how.

"_Make him see,"_ the voice told her. _"Show him our journey, show him the demon – the true meaning of Mangekyo!"_

_But how?_

"_You **know**!"_

Blending with the Spirit, she delved into her new-found powers, her eyes changed and the world around her filled with colours she had never seen before. She saw the light of the Chidori crackle and burn in thousands of shades – light and darkness – the shadows it cast alive with its power. She saw Sasuke coming to a stop in front of Itachi and lifting his arm, ready to kill him.

But the image changed and Sasuke was still running, still closing in on Itachi. He didn't notice her approach until she slammed into him, the surprise breaking his concentration and nearly extinguishing the ball of electricity in his hand. She ignored the burning in her hand as she held down his arms, just channelled some of her healing chakra into the left to keep the damage to a minimum. Sitting atop his chest, effectively holding him in place, she screamed at him.

"**I'm not taking anyone's side! I'm just trying to do the right thing!**" Her voice was almost pleading with him – one last attempt to make him see reason without revealing those dark secrets bestowed upon her.

He was having none of it…

When he bucked his hips to dislodge her from his chest, she finally snapped and quickly squeezed her legs at either side of his rip cage, hindering his breathing to the point where his eyes flew wide open in shock. He'd obviously underestimated the amount of strength she could access at will, even with her legs. Her left hand contracted and the bones in his wrist gave way with a loud crack, extinguishing the Chidori.

_She would make him see…_

The world around Sasuke changed, the strange white pinwheels in Sakura's eyes spinning ever faster, and at first he thought it a hallucination caused by the lack of oxygen. However he soon found his breathing back to normal, no weight pressing down on his lungs and keeping them from expanding anymore. The pain in his wrist was gone and suddenly Sakura vanished, too.

And now he was standing upright, in the middle of Konoha. Only it was in ruins, smoke billowing from the ashes and black rain falling from a dark sky, slowly mixing with the blood covering the pavestones.

He turned and came face to face with himself – but not quite. His _other self_ stood a ways down the main road, oblivious of Sasuke, dressed in Sound clothes and with longer hair. It (for how else could he call something that looked like him, but was so obviously not him) had pale, almost white skin and the laughing voice was high and feminine.

It held something in its hand and Sasuke realized it was pink – pink hair to be exact, attached to a body in its last struggle for survival, barely conscious. On the ground he could make out an orange clad figure, covered with red stains, lying in a pool of blood. Naruto had died defending Sakura, defending her against _him_ – or a version of him anyway. And now this _other version_ of himhad her and was planning god-knows-what with her. Not kill her; the glint in its eyes was far too sinister for that.

_What was happening here?_

Before he could charge at that _thing_ and free Sakura from its clutches – he wouldn't allow _any_ version of himself to hurt her like this – someone began to talk.

"We're in my memories, if that's what you're wondering."

The voice came from his left and he turned to a second Sakura, surprised.

_Her memories?_ But Konoha was intact and he hadn't killed Naruto…

"I went back a little too far." Her face was oddly apologetic, a small frown distorting her lips.

"What is this place?" He looked at her puzzled and urged her to explain. For it surly couldn't be Konoha – a few minutes ago it had still been standing and how could she remember its destruction when that had never happened…

"My worst nightmare."

He looked back towards the creature parading as him and was shocked to see it dragging off the '_other'_ Sakura, now severely bleeding, towards the remains of the Hokage tower. It was still laughing in that high-pitched voice.

"This isn't what I wanted to show you, I just haven't gotten the hang of this jutsu yet." The sound of the '_real'_ Sakura (at least he hoped she was the real one, the one he knew, and that he hadn't somehow been catapulted into some kind of twisted alternate reality) made him turn back to her. "Just give me a minute and I'll have us out of here."

She looked as if concentrating hard, but – after a show like _this_ – he wasn't about to let her get away without an explanation.

"Stop." She looked at him with wide eyes, shocked at his booming command. "Explain."

"This _really_ isn't important, Sasuke." He walked towards her and took her by the shoulders.

"Explain!" Involuntarily his eyes were drawn back to the retreating figure and a small shiver ran through him while he watched as it kicked the corpse of Kakashi out of its way. This was so close to the visions he'd had that day in the hospital, but Sakura couldn't know about that, could she?

"This is the memory the demon trapped me in, when it used the Tsukuyomi on me." She took a deep breath and he let go of her. "That isn't you, Sasuke – its Orochimaru …in your body."

Realization dawned and the whole scenario suddenly became clear in Sasuke's head – the snake had taken him, had used his body – _his Sharingan_ – to destroy Konoha and kill everyone standing in his way. And Sakura, sweet Sakura who lived to heal and help, was the last one standing, kept alive for entertainment purposes, and maybe for Kabuto's sick experiments.

He took a step back from her, giving her space – but, more importantly, giving himself some space. He had caused these nightmares, by joining with the snake he'd condemned her to the fate of eventually losing everything she held dear. And she had known it would happen, had to anticipate the day news of the body take-over would reach Konoha and from there on it would have just been a matter of weeks until the snake turned his sights on Konoha. Eight years now she'd been sitting on the edge of a battle field, waiting for a fight that she would not be able to escape, knowing their chances of victory were slim…

He'd never stopped to contemplate what consequences he had bestowed upon his old team when he had made the deal with the snake. It simply hadn't mattered so long as his own goal was reached. But here it was, right in front of him, and he was unable to look away – unable to quell the regret manifesting itself in his heart.

'_My worst nightmare'_, her words echoed in his head and the emptiness of her voice – so hollow, so _wrong_ – stole his breath.

He tried to tell himself that she was exaggerating, that her fantasy had run away with her when these foreboding dreams had occurred, but he knew that wasn't true – she deserved more credit than that. There was no doubt in his mind that the snake would have done exactly as she had imagined, even the fact that she'd be left to watch her village die. The sannin had been a sadist in every sense of the word, he hadn't caused so much suffering on his path to become immortal because there was no other way, but because he had enjoyed watching others writhe in pain, be it mental or physical…

"It doesn't matter anymore, Sasuke." Sakura's calm, even soothing, voice pulled him from his thoughts. "He's dead, you killed him. End of story…"

She was wrong about that, but he didn't have the heart to correct her. Tsunade was her mentor, someone she trusted, to tell her about the Hokage's less than kosher deal with the perverted medic-nin would only put unnecessary strain on their bond.

The scene around him froze and he turned to her for an explanation.

"I'm just gonna… 'fast forward' a little." She was looking somewhere beyond his shoulder, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "To the point where the Spirit got us out of here."

The world sped up around them and he had the ridiculous thought that they were trapped in a movie while someone was playing with the remote control. But the mention of her _inner self_, or whatever Ino had called it, brought with it a barrage of questions he'd puzzled over since the hearing.

"Stop." He demanded anew and she shot him a look usually reserved for that poor man's Picasso who called himself an ANBU. The scene froze again and she balled her fists, clearly annoyed.

"You know, Sasuke, I'm doing this for the first time and – apart from the fact that I could _fry_ both our brains if I do something wrong here – it _is_ pretty complicated. So would you _please_ refrain from interrupting me all the time?"

"This _spirit_, is it here with us right now?" Sasuke registered her words and his voice involuntarily sprang to a slightly higher note. "And what do you mean '_fry our brains'_?"

"Can't this wait till later? I brought you here to show you something important…"

"Just answer the questions, Sakura."

"Fine," she through up her hands and paced a little. "Yes, she's here. She's _inside_ me Sasuke, a _part_ of me – of course she's here with us. And this jutsu is complicated and complex, it connects our minds so I can replay my memories for you. Everything involving the human mind being subjected to outward influence poses potential risks."

"Why the fuck did you do this then, if it is so dangerous!"

Overcoming the worry her words had produced, he finally remembered that she was distracting him from the confrontation with his brother. Although, now that he had calmed down somewhat, the last half an hour seemed to be a blurry mess and the whole fight was unclear even to him. Itachi had provoked him again, and so they had fought – or had they? Sakura seemed so sure that Sasuke was in the wrong but he couldn't for the life of him explain why she had been so angry with him. There was only this intense feeling of righteousness and fury and the next thing he remembered clearly was Sakura taking Itachi's side… again.

Frustrated with her, he walked a few steps away and turned his back on her.

"You need to know what happened to your brother!"

He could tell her patience with him was running out, but still the reason eluded him. She was the one who brought him here, forced him here – she should have known he wouldn't be fine with this. And there was no need for him to see whatever she wanted to show him, he would always look at Itachi as his nemesis. Even if it was true and he hadn't killed their parents, his brother's very presence made his skin crawl, especially when _his_ old team treated him as one of them. Sasuke snorted – Itachi would never belong to them, no matter what he had to do to keep Team 7 away from him.

"Dammit, Sasuke! Will you just listen for a minute?"

He closed his eyes and concentrated on a way out of this place, but nothing came to mind. The technique appeared similar to the Tsukuyomi, only without the torture part. The last time Itachi had cast that jutsu on him, there had been no way out, it was simply not possible to break from the inside, unless of course you had help from some weird '_spirit'_, like Sakura…

A stinging pain shot suddenly through his left cheek, accompanied by a loud slap, and his eyes flew open to reveal the angry face of Sakura, so close their noses were almost touching.

_She'd slapped him; she'd _actually_ slapped him…_

He blinked and stepped back from her, lest she do it again.

"Oi, pay attention, you nincompoop! What she has to say is important."

Bewildered he blinked again and realized he was seeing double, in front of him was not as expected one Sakura, but two. Same haircut, same clothes, even the same angry frown and posture. And one of them was speaking of herself in the third person.

"Sasuke," the one on the left gestured to the one who'd slapped him, "meet Inner Sakura. Inner Sakura, meet Sasuke."

"I know who he is, slow-poke. Just get on with it already!"

While the two females were having a silent stare off, Sasuke backed off a little and observed them. It was quite fascinating really, to see someone arguing with (quite literally) them self. Their facial expressions and body language were almost identical and even in synch, as if mirroring each other. The only reason he could tell them apart was that they hadn't moved from their respective places since Sakura's introduction.

At the moment Sakura seemed to be the one in control, but the other one, the spirit, appeared equally as stubborn and wilful. Could she take control and force Sakura to do things against her will? And would anyone on the outside know if she did? Maybe he'd already encountered her before, but didn't know it?

_Shit, this was confusing._

One Sakura was usually a handful, but two…

And now they were arguing, without speaking, but it was quite visible in their faces, causing the image (or memory, or whatever Sakura had meant it to be) around them to flicker and change in some places. The scene went out of focus and became a muddled grey mist, only to clear up again a moment later, completely different.

They were standing in dark cave or stone-walled chamber, but there was too little light to define it fully. The scene was frozen again; the flames of the few torches were unmoving as if carved in stone. He made a slow gyration and took everything in. The floor was made of black marble, so it was more likely that they were in some kind of man-made room rather than a cave. The ceiling was obscured in darkness and too high for the dim torchlight to reach, although the width of the room was no more than twelve, maybe thirteen feet.

It was a hallway, he realized as his gazed drifted along the wall to his right and landed on a small, distant opening, illuminated by an ominous red glow.

"I'll leave you to it then." One of the women told the other and it troubled him that he couldn't determine which of them the real Sakura was. The one who had spoken vanished in a puff of smoke and the other one walked over to him. Wearily he followed her every move with his eyes.

"Well, I don't know how much longer I can keep this jutsu working, so we should get on with it." He didn't answer and kept his eyes on her, still not sure which one it was. She seemed to realize his predicament and smiled.

"I'm Sakura, Sasuke." Her eyes twinkled with amusement and he got irritated with her again. It wasn't his fault that that damn spirit liked to play with his mind by taking the real Sakura's appearance. "Well, now you've met her. Does that satisfy your curiosity about my little subtenant?"

"Feisty," was all he allowed himself to mutter. But that wasn't too different from the Outer Sakura nowadays; unlike the time they'd spent together as team mates. Maybe the spirit had already rubbed off on her…

"Ah, don't take her attitude personally. I mean, after four hundred years of being reborn to fight the same demon over and over again, all the while knowing that in the end it's pretty much futile since she can't kill him anyway, I guess I'd be a little antisocial, too."

"She's a little pushy, but for an ethereal being, she's actually very human when it comes to her emotions." Sakura paused and gave a little giggle; the sound bounced of the naked walls and echoed in his ears, making his stomach contract a little. It was not a bad sensation. "In fact, when we were still a team and I used to run after you for dates, her crush on you was almost bigger than my own."

"Apparently, she got over it…" He rubbed his cheek, remembering the slap and felt a little disconcerted that some _mythical being_ could bear any kind of romantic feelings towards him. He'd rather take the human Sakura's crush any day…

"Nah, she still thinks you're hot, just that your personality is somewhat lacking."

He chose not to ask whether this also applied to the Outer Sakura or not.

She led him to the end of the hallway, away from the red glow, until it was merely a pinpoint in the dark. When she came to a stop two figures appeared in front of them out of thin air and he identified them both as Sakura. At the hearing she'd said she'd been unable to break the Tsukuyomi, but that the spirit had freed both of them and used the connection to enter Itachi's mind – so the distraught and dishevelled looking figure before him was most likely Sakura and the calm and stoic looking one the spirit. His theory was proven a moment later when the scene unfroze and the panting figure looked around herself in confusion.

"Where are we?" She looked at her counterpart, "and how did you manage to get us away from Itachi?"

"We're not away from him – we're actually a lot closer to him than before." The other one explained in a steady voice. "We're inside his mind. Sakura, our enemy is not the Uchiha, but an entity far more destructive than any human being could ever be."

Sasuke turned to the _real_ Sakura; she was still at his side, observing him. He raised an eyebrow, hoping she would explain what was happening.

"This is what I wanted to show you, Sasuke. We've just entered Itachi's mind and are about to split up. If I did everything right, this should be just like watching a movie. Just please, don't write this off as unimportant, you need to understand what happened, or you'll never be able to move on."

He didn't give her any verbal reply, but nodded once as a sign of compliance. Maybe she was right, maybe she wasn't – all in all, she was the one calling the shots here, so he decided to go along with it for the time being. He turned back to the memory.

"You have to find the Uchiha, Sakura. We will need his help to fight the demon."

"**Demon?**" Apparently this was still news to Sakura at this point. "What demon?"

"There's no time to…" The spirit was interrupted by earth-shattering footsteps echoing through the narrow hallway and she looked towards the opening on the other end, straight through Sasuke who could clearly read the emotions in her eyes – anger and sorrow. "You have to go, Sakura. Find him! I will hold this abomination off until you pull him out of the shadows."

"But how?"

"You know how! It is our nature to help those who cannot help themselves; your instinct will guide you to him."

Before Sakura could reply, the spirit set off towards the source of the footsteps, running through Sasuke as if he was air – and in a way he was, to this memory, since he hadn't been there when all of this had taken place.

He looked after her for a moment but the image around him changed again, seemed to move and when he turned back he found the reason – the Memory Sakura was running in the opposite direction and he along with the real Sakura and the whole world around them had to follow. It made sense, she could only remember everything from her perspective, and so they were watching only what she had seen.

The hallway seemed endless, the darkness around them crushing every smidgen of light and the air tasted stale. Sasuke tried to look ahead, to make out something …anything in the shadows, but even his keen eyes were useless against such utter blackness.

Suddenly they were standing at a fork in the road, three giant doorways led in different directions and Memory Sakura was standing in the middle, at a loss.

"Where to go? Where to go?" She muttered and looked from one doorway to the other. Apparently coming to a decision, she straightened up and took a deep breath. "I'll just… follow the yellow brick road."

_The what?_

Sometimes he really questioned her sanity – there was nothing yellow here, nothing in any colour other than black in fact, and she based her entire plan on some delusional brick road that only she could see…

He looked at the Sakura beside him and raised an eyebrow, simultaneously shaking his head at her lunacy. In return she smiled and told him: "It's from a movie. And it turned out to be the right direction, so stop looking at me like that!"

Thinking it better not to further contemplate her logic, he turned back to watch the scene and saw that they had just passed over a threshold into a large ballroom-like structure. The lighting was a little better in here, but the enormous distance between the walls still made the torches very much useless.

Huge, eerie statues protruded from the shadows, vicious animals, their faces grim and their fangs bared. They appeared to be vile and sinister mutations of tigers, some even with bat-like wings, others with spikes jutting through the skin of their backs and tails.

But Memory Sakura only spared them a passing glance and kept on running to the far side of the room, where heavyset double doors loomed just out of reach. As they drew closer, he could see they were made of blackened iron and engraved with runes and pictographs that looked like bizarre faces, garbled and distorted. He had the inexplicable feeling that the doors had not been opened for a very long time.

The kunoichi was pushing at the right wing with all her might, but it wouldn't budge, so she channelled her chakra into her fist and smashed it into the iron. Even with her insane strength (that could smash a tree into splinters with one little nudge of her pinkie, as he'd seen not two days ago when Sai had angered her again) it took her several tries before the lock snapped. Finally she pushed open the door and was bathed in an unnatural bright light.

After he'd stepped through the doorway, Sasuke saw the source of the light. Before them lay a deserted field, the grass torched by a merciless sun that beat down on them. Everything was bathed in a red hue and the heat was unbearable, leaving this god-forsaken place lifeless and dead, silent as a grave. Not even the air was moving…

Memory Sakura seemed to share his foreboding thoughts and ventured forward at a slower pace. When he looked back the doorway was gone and he only stared at a bloody horizon.

After a few minutes of nothing but torched earth and burned, crippled vegetation, she halted and stared down at the ground, her eyes growing wide. He stepped up to her to find a body lying at her feet, covered in dried blood, but miraculously the face was clean.

Uchiha Teyaki had been stabbed through the heart and bled to death…

Sasuke knelt down in front of his uncle's body and put a hand to his mouth, staring at the corpse for a long time, until he was pulled from his troubled remembrance by a touch on his shoulder. He looked up at Sakura and saw that she had frozen the memory again.

"It's not really him, Sasuke, just a projection of the actual event. There… there will be others." She crouched down so they were eye to eye. Her voice was quiet and soothed his wild heartbeat. "I know you don't ever want to see this again, but this isn't the worst part. I think in a way they're only here as some kind of twisted decoration that the demon put out here to keep your brother from going outside."

"Outside of where?" _There was nothing except dirt and blood, as far as the eye could see…_

"It's a little further up ahead, you can't see it from here." She looked at the dead body. "Don't look at _them_, Sasuke. They're not real. I could force you to go on, but I'm not going to – you have to _want_ to understand. Do you?"

He nodded and stood up, grabbing her arm to bring her with him – he had the ominous thought that he would need her presence next to him to get through this.

What seemed like an eternity later they stood before a rundown house – or more a shack really. The windows were nailed shut and the door hung loosely on its hinges, the roof was largely torn down. On the front steps lay another body, a distant cousin whose name eluded Sasuke in all this horror. They'd already passed his aunts lifeless form and two ANBU, their faces obscured by their masks, Sakura had pushed him onward before he could examine them closer. He had not objected.

Memory Sakura walked cautiously up to the door and stepped in, breathing erratic and hands quivering. He followed her and stopped dead in his tracks the same moment she did. Before them, amongst the ruins and rubble of old furniture, sat a young boy, no more than eight years old. His hair was midnight-blue, his eyes a deep black, his face tear strained.

"Sasuke," he heard Memory Sakura whisper in awe and the boy looked up at her at the mention of his name. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and snivelled.

Sasuke held his breath, his body went rigid. There was no doubt – the boy was him, exactly as he had been twelve years ago. He couldn't turn his eyes away as he watched their exchange from the sidelines.

"Who are you?" The boy asked with a hoarse voice, he'd obviously been crying for some time.

"I'm…" She paused, her face an odd mixture of confusion and wonder. "My name is Sakura. I'm here to find Itachi. Can you… can you tell me where he is?"

"Are you going to help my nii-san?"

"I hope so. Do you know where he is?"

"No!" At this tears began to flow from his eyes again and it was all that was needed to propel Sakura out of her stupor and in front of the boy. Kneeling down, she slowly wrapped her arms around him.

"Well," she began in a whisper, "how did you get here?"

"We lost each other." He hiccupped a little. "And now I can't find him again. But he needs me and I'm not there…"

He was weeping now, the tears streaming down his face, and she rocked him back and forth, whispering nonsense words of comfort.

"What do you say we try and find him together?" She asked after a few moments and the boy began to calm down. She wiped his eyes with her sleeve and helped him up. Hand in hand they left the shack and Sasuke's view, as he wasn't quite ready to follow.

Beside him the real Sakura took his hand and his head whipped around to her. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and felt her squeeze his hand. He returned the gesture.

He didn't let go of her and they resumed their journey. He was staring straight ahead at the boy's back, still trying to figure out the boy's presence here, as he and Memory Sakura walked ahead of them over the seared plains. Ever since passing his uncle's corpse, he'd prepared himself to be confronted with his worst nightmares and memories – his parents' bodies, his dead friends, maybe even the demon itself or his brother at the age of thirteen, stuck in purgatory – but to see his childhood self, crying and lost in this hellhole was beyond his comprehension…

The two figures were silent for a long time until the boy tugged at her hand and made her look at him.

"You called me 'Sasuke'. How did you know my name?"

"Because I've known you for a long time, we're friends." She looked at him closer, tilting her head slightly as if wondering whether to ask what was on her mind or to keep quiet. "You're not really Sasuke, are you?"

"No, I'm not. But it's good to know he has people like you in his life."

"If only he would see it that way…" She shook her head and Sasuke couldn't help but cringe a little at the bitterness in her voice. "But that doesn't matter right now. We have to find your brother. When did you get lost?"

"A long time ago, time is hard to tell in this place. But it was at least a few years…"

"Where did you last see your brother?"

"I'm not sure, everything's the same here. And sometimes it changes and shifts, just to confuse me – _He_ doesn't like it when I search for nii-san."

"_He_? You mean the demon?"

The boy nodded and they came to a stop. Memory Sakura crouched down in front of him and took him by the shoulders, face serious and eyes filled with sorrow.

"Did he ever hurt you?"

"No, He can't touch me, because it burns him. But he hurts nii-san…"

"Not anymore. I promise you we'll find him and get him out of here."

And so they began to walk again, on and on, following a path only Sakura could see. And in a way it was good that their walk was so long, as it gave Sasuke time to make sense of all this. The boy seemed to represent a part of Itachi, one the demon couldn't reach, only what part Sasuke couldn't decide. And the sun painting everything around them blood red resembled the moon illuminating the world of the Tsukuyomi. Maybe this world was similar, trapping the original owner of the body in a hell of the demon's making…

He felt Sakura's hand tighten around his own and looked up, only to avert his eyes as soon as his mind realized what he was seeing. On the ground were to bodies that were all too familiar to him and he couldn't bring himself to look at his parents' faces. Memory Sakura had also come to a stop, obviously shocked and concerned for the little boy. But the boy ignored them and pulled her past them, avoiding going near the bodies by making a big arc.

"They're not real," he told her. "But nii-san thinks they are and fears them. That's why he can't get out."

And then Sasuke finally saw his brother's prison cell, just beyond the two bodies – it was a giant circle of tall, rectangular stones, set with small spaces between them no more than six feet wide. Light flooded from the inside through the gaps, flashing in different colours, but other than that everything was still, as if the world was holding its breath.

Memory Sakura walked up to the circle, right between two boulders and suddenly the boy ran inside, leaving her behind.

"Nii-san"

The kunoichi didn't move further and observed the place before her. Sasuke and Sakura, still holding onto each other, stepped up to her and took in everything she saw. The monoliths were illuminated on the inside by projections, as if they were movie screens. Toneless pictures played upon them, some frozen and unmoving, others changing rapidly from peaceful to violent, repeating themselves over and over again.

Sasuke could see his father's face, edged with worry and pain, blood spattered on his cheek. And there was his mother, suspended in time, her eyes closed and her skin pale. A nameless woman with blonde hair and dark-green eyes came next – it looked as if she were reaching for something, only to have her throat sliced a blink later. A man he remembered as Uchiha Shisui floated in a lake, just beyond the surface. Another screen showed Kakashi trapped under a bleeding moon…

Unable to look further, Sasuke concentrated on the reason they were here in the first place.

In the middle of the circle was yet another boulder, wider than all those surrounding it, but only a few feet tall, like a giant stone-table. Leaning against it sat a man with filthy and limp black hair hiding most of his face. His head was bent downwards, his posture slumped. One leg was bent at the knee, one arm lazily resting on it, while the other two limps lay inert.

His pale skin was waxy and stretched too tightly over his bones, making his face look like a skull – overall his appearance was famished and gaunt. Only his eyes still held life, two black stars shining through the curtain of his hair, pointing straight at Memory Sakura, watching her with what seemed to be relief. When he spoke his voice was rusty from disuse and barely more than a whisper.

"Come to kill me, Guardian?"

The little boy had run up to the man and was now standing over him, fidgeting with his hands. A glow surrounded him, seeming to come from deep within him, and it thrust aside the red hue, clearing the space around him. Slowly he knelt down and touched his nii-san's hand, holding onto it as if for dear life.

"She's here to help us, nii-san," he whispered. "Her name's Sakura and she's my friend. See, she brought me back to you!"

"I… Itachi?" Memory Sakura asked uncertainly. Her gaze was fixed on the broken man before her and her face was ashen. Tears gathered in her eyes as she walked over to him with unsteady steps.

"We need your help to fight this thing," she told him with quiet words. "I… I don't know how yet, but we'll find a way."

Itachi tilted his head to the side, looking like he was trying hard to understand her, and his eyes widened a little at her close proximity, as if shocked that she would even talk to him.

"Kill me then," he whispered. "Kill me and get it over with. It'll all end when I'm gone…"

"No!" The little boy screamed in despair, he threw himself at his older brother and hugged him. "No, even without you, _He_ will still be here and then _He_ can still do bad things. You can't give up, nii-san. I need you!"

"Otouto…" Itachi's voice faded and he looked at the boy, the strange glow enveloping both of them now. It was growing stronger as if fuelled by Itachi's reawakening will to live, for it showed clearly on his face that the boy's words had made an impact.

The older Uchiha put his arms around the younger one and slowly they stood, facing Memory Sakura. He looked at her closely and his eyes clouded with memories.

"I know your face," a small smile played around his lips and his voice was grew stronger, but still remained quiet and hoarse, seemingly afraid to disturb the silence. The picture on the monolith closest to them transformed into one of a small pink-haired girl, her smile so bright it paled even this unnatural bright sun. She was holding out a book to someone.

"Haruno…" Itachi continued slowly, pulling the information from his clouded memories with difficulty. "Firstborn of Shinichi and Keiko… Cherry blossom of the spring… Harbinger of life and renewal – your parents chose well when they named you."

Suddenly thunder roared in the distance and the ground beneath them started to shake. The young boy looked into the distance, fear and worry etched into his mien.

"He's coming…"

And then Sasuke was lying on the ground again, Sakura collapsed on his chest. Her grip on him had slackened and her head rested on his chest, her breathing hard and irregular. The pain in his wrist came back to him and he carefully extracted his hands from her grip. Angling his head to the right, he saw they were back in the real world, just on the edge of the training grounds.

"Sakura?"

She didn't respond.

"Sakura, you're heavy." Actually, she wasn't – she was far lighter than anyone with her amount of strength and muscle mass ought to be. He only said it to get a reaction out of her, maybe a little anger would spurn her back into consciousness. And she did react – by pinching him in the side.

"Ouch! Quit that!" With his good hand he shook her shoulder. "You're awake, so get up. And what the hell happened?"

"Fuck." Well that was a _very_ helpful reply…

"I couldn't keep it going any longer. Do you have any idea how exhausting that was?" She continued and pushed herself up with her hands on either side of him. Sweat was running down her forehead and her arms shivered slightly with fatigue. Looking into his eyes, her face became serious again and her voice grew stern. "Do you get it now? He needs us! He needs us to keep him company and to treat him like a human. And he needs _you_! Do you understand now?"

"Yeah, I understand," he told her quietly and he found he meant it. She looked satisfied. But a moment later her expression turned to panic and she scrambled of him. Blinking in confusion, he sat up.

"Itachi," she reminded him, "I have to heal him."

Pushing of the ground, she used her last strength to wobble over to his brother and Sasuke finally saw what he had done. Itachi was still unconscious, his face severely bruised and bleeding. As he followed Sakura, he finally realized how stupid he had been…

Sakura was trying to heave Itachi onto her shoulder, but Sasuke could feel her chakra was almost depleted and she fell back down. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he gestured for her to step aside, but her look told him she was still weary of his intentions and she stayed where she was. Heaving a sigh he picked her up and set her aside like a rag doll, certain he would regret that move later. But for the time being she was too tired to slug him and he took advantage of that small bit of luck.

He picked his brother up in a fireman's lift, favouring his injured hand, and together they walked back towards the inhabited buildings. Sakura was still pouting at him, but he ignored it.

For the first time since moving back into the Uchiha residence, Sasuke stepped foot into his brother's house. Signs of Kakashi's presence were everywhere, little things like magazines and Pakkun's blanket, but for now he spared them little attention. Sakura led him to Itachi's room where he carefully laid the older man down on the bed.

He watched her every move as she sat on the edge of the mattress and washed away the blood and dirt. When she was finished she turned to him.

"I have too little chakra to perform a healing jutsu, but I have some soldier pills at my place. I'll just go get them."

"Wait," he stopped just as her hand touched the doorknob. "Where're the others?"

"As far as I know Yamato and Sai went with Tsunade-shishou to discuss a mission. And Naruto's meeting with Hinata, they always eat together at least once a day." She narrowed her eyes and scratched the back of her neck. "And I have no idea where Kakashi is gallivanting about, but chances are, we're better off not knowing…"

"Anyway, I'll be right back."

After she'd closed the door behind her, Sasuke looked for a place to sit and found a chair in front of a small desk. He brought it closer to the bed and slumped down, his elbows resting on his knees, his back bend. He folded his hands and put his chin on them, ignoring the pain in his wrist. He examined his brother's still form for a long moment. Finally he let out a long breath and closed his eyes, seeing flashes of the strange world he'd just left and that had been his brother's prison for so long.

"I'm sorry, nii-san…"

* * *

**A/N: I really hope you like this look into Itachi's mind. It was one of the parts of this story that came to me right from the beginning, when I first started outlining the plot and I have been looking forward to writing it ever since. I wanted it too be surreal, but not as abstract as the Tsukuyomi-world, and I hope I succeeded. I just had this scene in my head where Sakura meets the little Sasuke and they try to find Itachi, everything else just kind of built around that one image – the bodies, the dark hallway, and finally the place where Itachi is trapped.**

**As a little explanation – The small Sasuke is supposed to represent the part of Itachi that still has hope, his light in the dark so to speak, but he lost that feeling a long time ago. That's why the demon can't touch the boy– the feeling he consists of (hope) is so pure and innocent that it hurts the demon to come near him. **

**The poem at the beginning was written by Rainer Maria Rilke (the same man who wrote the poem from chapter 05) and is called 'Der Panther'. I did find a few translations on the net, but none of them really satisfied me, as they either chose words that were technically correct but sounded too sterile, or they chose very poetic words but changed the meaning in parts to fit the rhyme scheme. For example 'müd' does not translate to 'misted', but rather means exhausted and tired or even weary. Misty eyes are, for me, tear filled and clouded (either by joy or sadness) but they aren't tired. So while it fits the rhyme nicely and also sounds very lyrical, it does not actually translate what it should. Therefore I tried my own translation, but took a few hints from the already existing ones. I put it up on my profile, so anyone interested can see it there. It's really not perfect and doesn't rhyme, but it does reflect the meaning as accurately as I could make it.**

**All in all it is about a panther trapped in a cage at the zoo and for years all he ever sees are the bars of the cage. His whole life is inside that cage and the world beyond the bars has become a distant dream. And so he paces in circles day in and day out, his mind stagnant and numb. Only sometimes a picture from the outside world penetrates those bars and rouses his tense muscles, but in the end it too will cease to exist and he's left with nothing. **

**It describes Itachi's ordeal so exactly that it almost hurts and the first time I read it in school (11th grade I think) I nearly started to cry. I'm a big fan of Rilke and this one is my absolute favourite. I hope you like it.**

**Uchiha Teyaki is Sasuke's uncle, the older brother of Fugaku. I chose him as the first to be found because he'd be easy to recognise for Sasuke. After all, Sasuke was pretty young back then and the Uchiha clan seems to have been pretty big, so I'm not sure he would really recognise his more distant relatives at first sight, especially when they're all pale and dead…**

**To everyone who fears a SasuSakuIta triangle: No, there won't be any ItaSaku in this story! I promise! It may have seemed so in the last chapter, but that was all in Sasuke's head. He saw them spending time together and instantly assumed Sakura would favour Itachi, just like his father did when he was a kid. I think he has a deep-rooted inferior complex wherever his brother is concerned because of his father and in the last chapter, it escalated.**

**The same goes for Kakashi and Naruto. None of them were actually neglecting Sasuke, but he interpreted it that way, because they weren't solely fussing over him 24/7. He thought everything would go back to the way it once was when they were genin, but they are all different people now and have different priorities. And right now Sakura's (and Naruto's and Kakashi's) priority is to help _both_ Uchihas – that includes Itachi, so she (they) spends time with him. She's Itachi's friend, the one who 'saved' him and defended him and, I guess, in a way you could say he loves her, but not in a romantic way, it's more that he admires her and is grateful for everything she did for him. **

**And she's so happy and cheerful around Itachi, because she needs to be. Right now he needs all the support and joy he can get and she's giving him that by treating him like a friend and not being awkward around him.**

**As always thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you Anime Angel Goddess, C.A.M.E.O1 and Only, Laura-chan, runwithskizzers, shadow angel 101, honouring death, kattylin, Unknown, Sirona of Arabia, Archerelf, abovetheroof, moodiful819, silver cherryblossom and UnknownFellah!**

**That's it for now, I hope you like it and please review.**

**See you next time…**


	10. Forgiveness and Stuff

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 10

**Forgiveness and Stuff

* * *

**

_The grey ceiling on the earth  
Well it's lasted for a while  
Take my thoughts for what they're worth  
I've been acting like a child  
In your opinion, and what is that?  
It's just a different point of view _

_  
What else, what else can I do?  
I said I'm sorry, yeah I'm sorry.  
I said I'm sorry, but what for?  
If I hurt you then I hate myself  
I don't want to hate myself, don't want to hurt you  
Why do you choose your pain?  
If you only know how much I love you, love you_

_  
The old picture on the shelf  
Well, it's been there for a while  
A frozen image of ourselves  
We were acting like a child  
Innocent and in a trance  
A dance that lasted for a while _

I won't be your winter  
And I won't be anyone's excuse to cry  
We can be forgiven  
And I will be here

* * *

It was three in the morning and Sasuke was awake …again.

As every night before since moving back into his old room, nightmares were abusing his already battered subconscious and he'd woken up dizzy and panting. Currently he was in the bathroom splashing cold water on his face, trying to regulate his breathing.

There had been something different about it tonight, though. His parents' lifeless bodies had not been blood smeared on the ground, but their images projected in an eerie light against a huge stone. Others were shown too – Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, faces he didn't even know – each on a stone of their own. And helplessly looking from one screen to the other had been a skinny, pitiful figure, hair matted and dull. His back had been bent, his hands shaking, and then he had turned around to face Sasuke.

But at the same time the figure had changed, had shrunken to the size of a small boy, maybe ten years old and Sasuke had stared unbelieving at the brother he had once known, the one who had taught him how to aim a kunai and who had been so _big_ and _strong_ in Sasuke's eyes back then.

And now his brother was the helpless child, his eyes haunted and widened with horror, lonely, and he had reached out his hand as if asking for help, for Sasuke to take it and guide him out of this rotten place. But he'd woken up before he could do anything…

Drying his face, he decided a little fresh air might clear his head and grabbed his book on the way out of the room. Taking extra care not to wake the other occupants of the house, he descended the stairs slowly – the third step from the bottom was still loose and creaked, they had ruled it a minor blemish and put fixing it far down on the list of repairs.

Outside on the patio he grabbed a lawn chair and made himself comfortable, before he could open his book however he noticed another presence, just across the street. He looked up to find Itachi slumped on the front steps of his house, holding a cup in his hands and staring at the bright moon with unseeing eyes. Apparently he hadn't noticed Sasuke yet.

Sasuke wanted to run, run as far away as he could, run back up to his bed and pretend he'd never been out here in the first place. But the things he'd seen last afternoon were too big to overlook, too significant to just push aside, and he found himself at a loss as what to do. Maybe Sakura was right, maybe Itachi needed them to just be there – needed Sasuke to be there…

But would it really help anyone if he talked to his brother while still looking upon him with eyes that would always see the older man as the murderer he had thought him to be for so long? Would it really help Itachi to see the deaths of their parents reflected on Sasuke's face?

…_or you'll never be able to move on._

All these years he'd been driven by his past, obsessed even, and now she was telling him to move on. True, he'd hoped to one day build his own life, to lay the ghosts to rest and start over – but those plans had always included Itachi's death, had been made on the premise of killing his brother in cold blood…

Only that wasn't possible anymore – he couldn't take his brother's life, knowing the older man was not responsible and had suffered even more than Sasuke himself, both of them mere pawns in a devil's twisted game.

So, could there be any way to 'move on', when the face of his parents' killer was in front of him everyday?

He supposed there _had_ to be, or he would inevitably go insane…

Deciding there and then to, for once, take the road less travelled by and confront his emotional shortcomings head on, Sasuke stood and crossed over to his brother – he would not let this abomination haunt his family any longer, they would both be free of it's lingering grip. He could finally see clearly that his hate had been misguided, it should not rest (should never have rested) on his brother who was just as much a victim as Sasuke himself, but on that _thing_ that had played both of them against each other.

Itachi didn't notice his approach, too lost in his own thoughts, until Sasuke stood before him, staring down at his brother's slumped form, an unreadable look on his face. Sasuke watched as Itachi opened his mouth and closed it again instantly, giving him a confused and weary smile instead as a greeting.

Not saying a word, he nodded and sat down next to his brother, concentrating on his book.

Itachi on the other hand kept looking at the younger man for a while, noting the changes time had brought upon him. His little brother was a grown man now, no longer in need of kunai lessons or piggy back rides, and the knowledge of all they had missed out on lay heavy on Itachi's shoulders.

How had Sasuke done in the academy after that fateful day? Had he ever had a schoolboy's crush, a girlfriend maybe? Or even a whole horde of fan girls, like he himself had had way back when? What kind of person had he grown to be, underneath all that anger? And would he be able to overcome it, to see all the good things life had still to present him with? Did he even know how lucky he was, in so many ways?

Eventually Itachi's gaze drifted back to the moon, silver and misty hanging above them, and he thanked the gods that it was no longer tinged with red.

Sasuke was aware of his brother's scrutiny, but kept quiet. The fading bruises on the older man's face made guilt rise in his chest and the feeling was still foreign, their close proximity uncomfortable, but he stayed and endured. They would have to move forward and for far too long he'd been going in circles, it was time to put an end to it.

So they sat in silence, they weren't ready for that inevitable talk yet – or rather, Sasuke wasn't. For now they were taking baby steps, but baby steps were, in the long run, better than none at all…

Kakashi found them like this, when he made his habitual check of the perimeter first thing in the morning, one of the holdovers of his ANBU years. Both were fast asleep, Itachi leaning against the handrail, Sasuke lying back on the stairs, his book resting on his chest and Kakashi smiled at the picture they presented.

He left them a little longer, quietly making breakfast first – although he did take a photo, so Sakura could see the fruits of her labour. He wasn't going to wake her this early in the morning, only Naruto was stupid enough to make _that_ mistake (if he could be bothered to get up at such an hour anyway). Maybe they could all eat together from now on, at least once in a while.

Sakura had told him about the Uchihas little quarrel yesterday and he was grateful for her rule-abiding demeanour – no matter if these kind of things were better left behind, he was still the captain of this mission and needed to be aware of the goings-on. He would have to have a little talk with Sasuke later, but that was as far as it would go, there was absolutely no need to inform the Hokage of a simple fist fight. Especially since the matter seemed to be settled for the time being.

As he was setting the table, the still half-asleep Uchihas came stumbling into the house, both yawning and stretching. _Boy, their backs must hurt after such a night_, Kakashi thought with glee and chuckled. Two very similar looks of displeasure were directed at him, but he ignored them and carried on.

Today they would put the finishing touches on the three main houses and decide which of the ruinous ones were beyond repair and be taken down. He would need both boys' approval, as they, technically, shared the inheritance – although these formalities were still a little abstract, since they hadn't talked them over as of yet. As long as they agreed though, there really was no need for that anyway.

And then there was the mission the Hokage had planned for Sakura and Naruto, to retrieve the little girl. Itachi would have to identify the temple and, from what he had gotten out of the boy so far, that was a pretty big problem – the demon hadn't given him much information about it, only taunted him with the knowledge that there was a child. He did remember though, what the buildings looked like and a general direction it was located in, but the world was full of temples, many of which were build in a similar fashion.

Naruto and his bunshin could be the demolition crew, Kakashi was sure the Kyubi boy would find this task enjoyable, and Yamato and Sai could go over the minor blemishes like squeaking doors. At least that would keep Sai far away from Sakura, who would be busy studying maps with the rest of them – always a good idea to keep those two neatly separated…

"Coffee…" came a sleepy murmur from behind him, accompanied by a small tug on his vest, and he turned to find Sakura, her eyes still closed, holding out a cup to him.

"Who am I, the local diner waitress? Go make your own coffee – you shouldn't drink so much of that stuff anyway." He patted her on the hair. "It'll stunt your growth… Whoops, too late."

"How can you be so mean to me, when I can barely get my eyes open…" She was leaning against him now, so he guided her to a chair and sat her down.

Sasuke watched them silently and couldn't help but think that they must've had this little episode before. _How much exactly had he missed?_

A few hours later the loud bangs and booms of Naruto's newfound favourite pastime (destroying Sasuke's property), occasionally accompanied by a cheerful "**Shannaro**" or "**Ha, take _that_!**", rang through the Uchiha premises and both Uchihas visibly cringed every time they heard another shout. They, together with Kakashi and Sakura, were standing over a table covered with the maps of the different Shinobi countries.

At the moment the four were concentrating on the biggest and most explicit map of the Land of Fire Sakura had been able to find – it took up nearly the whole tabletop.

So far they had marked most of the known shrines and temples of their home country and simultaneously excluded all those in the southern regions, as Itachi was reasonably sure the landscape he had seen did not resemble that of the humid coastal area or the big planes of the south-western border. But it was situated somewhere in the Fire Country, he remembered some of the details vaguely from one of his jounin missions – there had been a few flowers that were unique to the thick forests of the northern parts of the Land of Fire. And the temple had been built into a mountain range, which narrowed it down a little more.

But still there were many of them, not counting the ones only known to the local populace – apparently monks favoured mountains and remote places for their homes_… Damn annoying monks…_

Somewhere inside him, Sasuke felt strangely proud at his brother's excellent observational skills even under such dire circumstances. It gave him a sense of security that the man he'd once admired really had been worth that admiration, had really been all his brotherly affection and enthusiastic imagination had made him out to be. But Sasuke also noticed that, more often than not, his brother had to lean very close to the maps to make out the writings or drawings on them.

'Myopia', Sakura had called it, nearsightedness, caused by the demon's immense and twisted chakra being channelled into his eyes every time the Mangekyo had been used and one of the reasons the demon had activated the Sharingan almost full-time, as it negated the defect. She wasn't sure yet if it was reversible, but Itachi had apparently accepted this turn of fate and already agreed to be fitted for glasses in a few days. It was a reasonable solution for now.

"It has to be somewhere around here," Itachi finally said and pointed at the map. "Close to the border of the Waterfall Country."

"There are no temples in that area, this side of the border." Sakura's voice was stern and held a strange sort of underlying tension, as if warning his brother away from that spot. Sasuke looked at her puzzled, trying to figure out why she was openly lying to them.

"There is one." He told her finally, his arms crossed, daring her to argue. "It's very well hidden; I only came across it by accident, when I was on a mission for…" He trailed off, still unsure how to bring up that part of their past.

"Deep inside the mountain range, only accessible through a long, narrow pass?" Itachi asked his little brother, excitement flooding his eyes, his full attention on Sasuke. "Built right into the mountain side?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded, remembering the place surprisingly well.

"It was very small, only five surrounding buildings and one bigger one for the worship?"

Again Sasuke nodded, but kept his eyes on the girl next to him. The tightness in her face was growing with every word spoken, a frown creasing her lips.

"Impossible!" She growled and he couldn't help throwing her own words back at her – _really, she was making it far too easy for him…_

"Now, Sakura, didn't you tell me not too long ago that nothing is impossible and that only the probability counts?"

"It is _impossible_ for him to have ventured into that place!" She finally turned to Sasuke and her eyes flashed with anger, but it was rooted far too deep to be caused by his simple teasing.

"There is only one temple in that area, Sakura, and we've just identified it as the right one" He was trying to talk some sense into her, she wasn't usually this negative. _And shouldn't she be happy they had finally found the right place, or at the very least a good starting point? _

Obviously furious beyond reason, she upended the table and stormed out of the room, banging the door shut behind her with so much force that it fell of the hinges. The three men left behind looked after her and then turned towards each other. Kakashi was pinching the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly at her display. Itachi and Sasuke were openly shocked – Itachi, having never seen her overly emotional side before, hadn't expected her to act so irrationally and Sasuke, very well used to the emotional part but completely out of his depth at the amount of rage rolling off of her in waves, hadn't expected her to be so openly aggressive.

"Sasuke, go after her and see what this is all about!" Kakashi ordered, already picking up the table and rolling up the maps. The young man in question just looked at his old mentor with eyes that clearly screamed _'Why me?'_

"Because," Kakashi told him with exasperation, "Naruto and I've been putting up with her mood swings for the last eight years, whereas _you_ were off playing the tragic hero – you have a lot of time to make up for. It's your turn, simple as that."

Unable to find flaws in the older man's logic, Sasuke pushed his hands into his pockets and went after her, all the while grumbling under his breath.

He finally found her at the edge of the training grounds, her hands stemmed against one of the boulders, her head hidden between her arms and turned towards the ground. All her muscles seemed tensed to the breaking point and Sasuke feared she might snap herself in half if she put just a little more strain on herself.

He cleared his throat to make his presence known.

"Ino was right." He hadn't expected that statement, nor the quiver in her voice.

"Ino was right," she repeated and straightened up to look at him. "I'm not me anymore. Sometimes I don't know who I am…"

"What are you talking about?"

"That temple…" She trailed off and looked at the horizon, causing Sasuke's patience to run out. He didn't like the look on her face, the sadness around her eyes and most off all the way she talked in riddles and half-sentences. Why would it be impossible for the demon to choose that temple and how the hell did she even know it existed?

"Have you ever been there?"

"Yes, I have." She paused to look back at him and he felt uneasy when her eyes weren't the same as before. He doubted he would ever get used to this strange _Mangekyo_ she now possessed. "Four_ hundred _years ago…"

"What?"

"It's _her_ _home_, Sasuke, the temple where they first summoned her. And that rotten, good-for-nothing demon shouldn't be able to go anywhere near it." She was getting a little hysterical now, a crazy little laugh erupting from her throat, and gesturing wildly with her hands. He was at a loss as what to do; he'd never been good with open displays of emotions, especially Sakura's…

"There's… there's a barrier. She erected a barrier to keep him away, kind of like a genjutsu. He knows where the temple is, but he _shouldn't_ be able to find it."

"But he did." Sasuke concluded for her. He'd noticed, how, more often than not, she'd begun to call the demon 'he' instead of 'it' and settled for her choice for now, although it made him uncomfortable – the demon wasn't human and there was something very disturbing about personalizing it like that. But the spirit had, in Sakura's memories, done the same thing, maybe it was significant to her somehow and Sakura was adapting to the spirit's view.

"Yes… yes, he did. And he brought the girl there just to spite me." Another giggle. "To taunt me and show me how strong he has become…"

"Am I talking to Sakura or the spirit now?" He finally decided to come out and ask, for her use of the first person worried him.

"I don't know – do you?" She looked at him full of hope and he could see there were tears shimmering in her eyes. Now she was just talking mad. "Because if you do, I would sure like to know."

"Sakura…" He tried, but she cut him off – which wasn't such a bad thing since he didn't know what he was going to say anyway.

"I have all these _pictures_ in my head, things I shouldn't know about, memories I shouldn't be able to remember, because they happened decades, even centuries before I was born!"

She was pulling at her hair, pacing up and down in front of him and her eyes flitted from him to the ground, back and forth as if looking for a way out. But he didn't know how to help her, so when she started scratching at her own skin, he did the only thing he could think of to make her stop. He pulled her tight against him and trapped her arms with his own, shaking her a little in the process. "Snap out of it, Sakura!"

"The spirit's memories are in your head?" He asked just to clarify.

"Yes," she nodded vigorously, still twitching now and then, but at least her voice seemed a bit calmer. "It started with dreams and sometimes she would show me something, to prepare me for the hearing, but now it won't stop."

"But… but it's not her fault." She told him when his face darkened at her words, accusation written in every crease of his brows. "Most of the others she lived with died right after the fight and those that survived never had to _know_ everything the way I did. And now she doesn't know what to do about it. It's not pleasant for her either, she says, there are things she'd like to keep for herself, like her feelings."

"Sasuke, I'm feeling what she's feeling! There are people I've never met and I care for them and grieve for their deaths and I'm angry – there's so much anger…"

She was babbling incoherently, her words slurred and some indistinguishable. Again he shook her a little, hoping to get her to focus back on the present.

"Sakura, the temple. _How_ did he break the barrier?"

"The seal is weakening… the seal on his body is weakening! Her strength is fading. A hundred lives – a hundred deaths, all for your family and she's getting tired. Sasuke, if the Akatsuki get their hands on Naruto, we are all going to _die_!" She started pounding on his chest, her punches weak but growing stronger with each blow. He had trouble holding onto her as she started to scream at him.

"And it's all your clan's fault! If you hadn't woken him, all this would have never happened. We could have all lived in peace – but no! The _big_ Uchihas had to be _stronger_ and _better_ than everyone else. You just had to go and give him power over you! **You are all just a bunch of testosterone-driven lunatics and traitors. You would sell your own grandmother to get stronger!**"

He let her rave at him for a while – she was right after all, at least to some extend. And he'd expected to be called worse things upon returning to Konoha, maybe not from her, but in general. He supposed, after everything he'd put her and his old team through, she deserved to have her go at him. And a lot of that anger was probably a projection of the spirit's frustration with his family, another feeling that was justified…

After a particularly strong punch – he was sure she'd put some chakra into that one – he had enough and caught her hands to prevent any major damage on his part. Now out of words, she struggled to get free, but he held on fast. It took a few minutes for her to calm down and once she did she was left panting and wobbly. Slowly he sat her on the ground against the boulder and fell down next to her.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." She was wiping the tears from her eyes and he could see her hands were trembling. "You're not accountable for your forefathers' actions."

_No, he wasn't_, he silently agreed, but some of the things she had said weren't that far of the mark for him either. He couldn't fault her for speaking the truth.

"Let's concentrate on the mission for now," he eventually told her, hoping she would understand he held no grudge against her – when she gave him a small smile in return, he knew she did.

"You know how to find the temple?"

"Yeah, it's all in here." She answered, tapping her forehead. "She's even glad to go back. I miss it." Sakura frowned and corrected herself. "I mean, _she_ misses it. I think she's homesick."

He'd never been one to give words of hope and encouragement, so he didn't. But he knew she was tougher than she looked and she would get through this. Though not always confident in her physical strength, he _had_ always been confident in her brains and inner strength – he knew she had needed both many times to put up with him and Naruto.

She'd been brave enough to confront him the night he left the village and even confessed her feelings for him, knowing he would reject her again. And after he left she had pulled herself together and trained to bring him back, instead of giving up on him or herself – he respected her for that and was sure she could do it again and come out stronger than before.

The following day Sakura had an appointment with the Hokage to notify her about their progress – the sooner the council approved of the mission, the sooner they could bring the girl home. Kakashi had taken the opportunity to send Sasuke with her so he could get a last check up from Tsunade. And the rest of the old Team 7 was scheduled to go grocery shopping. Afterwards they would all meet at Ichiraku and have some kind of _reunion lunch_ – Sasuke thought it utterly ridiculous, _they were living together, weren't they?_

But Kakashi was adamant and Naruto supported the plan, so there was little Sasuke could do to stop them. He was, after all, under their supervision and, right now, what Kakashi said was law for him. He made a mental note to pay his old sensei back for every word and humiliation, once his probation was over…

At the moment they were (again) waiting for the copy-nin to get ready – the pervert took longer showers than Sakura, probably just to rile Sasuke. The kunoichi had already left very early in the morning, having a few personal errands to run. When he had asked about them (he'd noticed her frequent '_errands'_, mostly in the evening when work for the day was done, and his curiosity got the better of him this morning), she had told him firmly that that was 'none of his damn business' and had left hurriedly. He would meet her at the entrance of the Hokage tower – _if Kakashi ever got out of that shower_…

Bored, he and Naruto sat on the front steps, watching Itachi and Yamato play Go on the patio. Sasuke thought the blond had fallen asleep, until he opened his big mouth again, shattering the peaceful silence.

"Hey, Itachi! Have you thought of a new name for yourself yet?"

_Right, Itachi was supposed to take on a new identity_, Sasuke had forgotten about that…

Itachi looked at the boys a little surprised – obviously, he had forgotten, too.

"Actually, no… But Sakura-san suggested the name 'Tachibana', because it resembles my given name. Apparently, she thinks it is…" He paused and wrinkled his nose, as if unwilling to say the word. "…_cute_."

The puzzled look on his brother's face – obviously, he was confused by possibly being associated with such a word – tickled a long suppressed part of Sasuke's mind, namely the one governed by his hormones and other pesky teenage notions, such as having fun. His Inner Goofball was virtually rolling on the floor laughing his ass off and pointing at his brother. Fortunately for both Uchihas, Sasuke still managed to keep his outer appearance of indifference; it really was enough that the dobe was teasing Itachi about it…

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Fuzzball." The older Uchiha grumbled, adding a few other choice words under his breath and turned back to his game, ignoring the laughing Kyubi boy.

"Yo."

"**Finally**!" Naruto shouted and Sasuke silently agreed.

Thirty minutes later the three males arrived at the Hokage tower, to find a grouchy Sakura waiting for them. Seeing her tapping foot, Naruto and Kakashi abandoned Sasuke and made a hasty retreat – _and people called him a traitor…_

With a look that clearly told her to blame the copy-nin, Sasuke walked past her and held the door open. "Let's get this over with."

Tsunade was surprised at their fast conclusion, but thankfully didn't question the reason behind it – he and Sakura had decided to keep quiet on her identity crisis (her words, not his…) for now. It was better for her not to have her loyalty and sanity questioned by anyone, he had assured her, when her conscience had demanded she at least tell their team captain. And maybe, just maybe, he felt a little closer to her keeping this secret with her – _of course, he'd never admit that out loud…_

"Very well," the Hokage finally closed the meeting, "I'll give this information to the council, you and Naruto should prepare to leave in a week. Oh, and I want you to take Wonder Boy here with you."

The _Wonder Boy_ in question was very much inclined to flip her the bird and a few other rude hand gestures his mother would have surely slapped him for, but refrained from doing so – she was the Hokage after all and could easily put him behind bars or worse. And the prospect of leaving the village for a short time and stretching his legs was too good to risk it with such childishness.

"But Shishou, the council prohibited him from missions…"

_Shut up, Sakura!_ If the old drunk wanted to let him go, who indeed were they to question her wisdom…

"I know, I know." Tsunade waved a dismissing hand, much to Sasuke's relief. "But his family resemblance will help you a long ways with those monks – monks can be very stubborn, you know?"

"Don't worry about the council. I'll just sell it to them as a new assignment for his community service." With that she sent Sakura out of the room and gave him his check over.

"This wrist has recently been healed – what happened to it?"

"I overstepped my limits." He told her cryptically and left it at that, she didn't demand a clarification.

After countless questions on his physical condition and even his sleeping and eating habits, he assured her that the headache was slowly fading (which was true, _thank kami!_) and his chakra and physical strength were returning. He didn't tell her about the evolution of his Sharingan, because at the moment he couldn't be sure if it would increase or decrease the council's trust in him.

Sakura had quietly explained the change to him after she had finished healing Itachi two days ago and Sasuke had been shocked that he hadn't noticed it. She'd also advised him to seek training from Kakashi to further his new ability – he wasn't sure yet about that one, but asking the older man for a few pointers wouldn't be such a bad idea.

And he finally had an explanation for those disturbing visions he'd had, something he was more than grateful for. The incident had been nagging at him and he understood now, why Sakura hadn't held it against him.

At last able to escape the Hokage, he quickly closed the door behind him and went to Sakura who was talking with Shizune on the other end of the hall. On his way he passed a man he vaguely recognized as the third sannin – Naruto had told him _all_ about the training with the _half-giant_ and Sasuke could now comprehend the snake's habit to call the Hokage's confidant a _big oaf_. The man was huge (something Sasuke only admitted with difficulty) and, according to Naruto, also the origin of Kakashi's demented books – a fact that had the old man already on Sasuke's bad side…

The Ichiraku was (thankfully) nearly empty when the two took their seats to wait for the dobe and the pervert. They were mostly silent and Sasuke chose to observe her for a while. He could tell she hadn't slept much the last night, the creases under her eyes were a dead giveaway, and her brow was permanently furrowed it seemed.

When her eyes suddenly began to flit from the menu to somewhere behind him and quickly back to the menu, and her whole body tensed, he threw a subtle glance over his shoulder to find the reason. Behind him, Ino had just entered the ramen stand and she too was nervously looking around, anywhere but at Sakura. The kunoichi next to him started to fidget with her fingers and stubbornly kept her eyes on them.

He sighed, confused and annoyed by their behaviour – if it had been him and Naruto, they would have just fought it out with fists and kunai, but no, women just had to be passive aggressive about it and not do anything at all, leaving the atmosphere around them tense and uncomfortable.

_Females_, he thought uncharitably, _are far too complicated for their own good. Troublesome…_

"You're being troublesome again, Ino!" A male voice echoed Sasuke's thoughts. "Just talk to her…"

_Ah, Lazy Ass did have good ideas from time to time..._

Too bad Ino apparently wasn't going to listen to him and was already on her way out, only to be stopped by Naruto, who obviously had no clue of what was going on. Not that Sasuke really understood why the two women were on the outs (_again_) – he only hoped it wasn't as trivial as their old rivalry about him. But Ino had made no attempt to glue herself to him since he came back, so that probably wasn't it…

"You already leaving, Ino? Come on, you all should eat with us!" The dobe was quite cheerful for someone who was digging his own grave. "Can't have the little one starving, can we?"

Now that threw Sasuke a bit – _little one_? He hadn't seen a child running around, but he had kept his eyes mostly on Sakura anyway, so that was really no surprise. But wouldn't a child make _some_ kind of noise, mostly some annoying one? He must be getting rusty, sitting around at home – he vowed to start his training with the copy-nin soon…

Or maybe the dobe was talking about a different kind of little, the kind not born yet. He didn't know much about that part of human biology, but he did know that pregnant women were supposed to eat a lot. So Ino was pregnant? Well, at least she'd stay away from him then…

Apparently the dobe had managed to get the two members of Team 10 back inside and they were all taking seats, but Sasuke kept his eyes on the female next to him still. Her fidgeting had stopped, but not in a good way, as she seemed to be paralyzed now – wide eyed and rigid with tension. He nudged her with his elbow to snap her out of it, but it took three tries to do so. When she finally looked at him, he told her under his breath to stop acting like an imbecile and behave normal. Seemingly that was all that was needed to get her back to her grouchy self.

They all ordered and kept silent, except, _of course_, for the dobe who was prattling on and on between bites. Much to Sasuke's confusion, he was talking in an overly childish fashion in what appeared to be Shikamaru's direction. When Sasuke leaned back a little to look past Kakashi and tried to observe this new tic of Naruto's, he had to look twice before he comprehended what he was seeing.

On the Nara's shoulders sat a small child, a little girl with long, dark hair, her arms around the other man's pineapple ponytail as if it was a teddy bear. So that was the little one, they'd been talking about. She listened raptly to the dobe, but didn't utter a word in return, or even move for that matter – must be taking after her father then…

He couldn't see her whole face as it was turned away from him, but, to him, it was only logical that Ino was the mother – who else would be able to put up with the Nara for any extended amount of time? But from the size of the girl she was about three, maybe four, so that would mean the two must've been no more than seventeen when she was born. Now that was a society scandal he was glad to have missed.

A nudge from Sakura brought him out of his musings and he turned back to his food. "Stop staring at her," she hissed at him. When he inquired about the full story with a raised eyebrow and a small wave of his hand, she only mumbled 'later' and continued eating.

All in all, lunch proceeded rather peacefully until Naruto had the _brilliant_ idea of throwing a party in Sasuke's house – without Sasuke's consent, of course – and on the spot invited Team 10 and '_everyone they could think of to bring along_'. While Sakura tried to actually vanish into thin air, if the look on her face was any indication, Sasuke was more interested in skinning the dobe – preferably (but not necessarily) alive – but was held back by Kakashi's warning gaze.

"A real Welcome Back Party for the teme, that's what we should do. Of course, we're gonna have to invite more people and order a cake and…" On and on he went, completely unaware of Sasuke's barely restraint fury.

Finally Kakashi decided to take them home, where this matter could be discussed in private. He paid hastily for all of them and ushered them out onto the street, dragging a protesting Naruto by the back of his shirt.

"But Kakashi-sensei…"

"Stop calling me that, Naruto. Jiraiya is your teacher and has been for some time now."

"But…"

"Naruto, you can't make decisions like that without discussing it with the rest of your team first. We all live there and the property belongs to Sasuke, so we all have a say in something as big as a party."

"Bu…"

"I admit the idea itself isn't so bad, but you have to learn that your actions affect others as well. You can't go around inviting people into a house that isn't even yours."

"B…"

"Let's continue this at home." Naruto opened his mouth again, obviously still trying to fight an already lost battle, but Kakashi put an end to it. "Remember what I told you the last time you were being pigheaded?"

Sasuke, fully aware of the incident in question, took satisfaction in the panicked nodding of the dobe who was now gesturing with his hand over his mouth that his lips were sealed. He also noticed that Sakura's breathing seemed to have returned to normal and she was even giggling a little at their team mates' antics. Good, he didn't like her fidgeting…

But her progress was only temporary and she quickly reverted back to the wide eyed girl when a sharp voice called her name.

"Sakura!"

She seemed to be rooted to the spot, her face the perfect picture of a child caught with its hand in the cookie jar. '_Fuck'_, she mouthed soundlessly and slowly turned around. Sasuke looked to Kakashi for an explanation, but the older man had already turned as well. The dobe was looking as puzzled as Sasuke was feeling.

When he turned, Sasuke saw the kunoichi standing before an old man, around sixty or seventy years of age. He was a little shorter than Sasuke himself and bent over a cane; his shoulder-length hair had long since lost its colour and shimmered in a matte white. But his eyes were sharp as a hawk's and they were glaring at Sasuke with unabashed loathing.

The face seemed familiar and it took him a moment to realize that the man was one of the council members, the one who had attacked Sakura so viciously and had accused her of spinning a fairy tale. And now he was at it again – and Sasuke was still none the wiser as to his reasoning. Worst of all, Sakura wasn't defending herself.

"Now I have to find you are gallivanting with a traitor! Is it not enough you saved that _vermin's_ life? Do you have to associate yourself with him too?"

But Sakura kept quiet, her hands folded in front of her, her head bowed in respect and obedience, her face set in stone. Sasuke didn't like the absence of her usually sparkling personality.

"You are a disgrace to your clan, Sakura! A disgrace to your blood! By lowering yourself to his level, you lower your whole clan. What have you to say for yourself?"

"I apologize, Shoutarou-sama." Her voice lacked any kind of infliction or emotion and Sasuke had never been so disturbed by her behaviour. And why the fuck was she apologizing to the old coot? He was obviously not right in the head, _so just ignore him…_

"You would have us all bow at his feet, I suppose, thanking him for gracing us with his presence. _Fifteen_ years I have invested in your education, trying to turn your mother's worthless genes into something of substance, and you throw it all away on a whim, a foolish little crush. I expected better from you, Sakura."

"First you disobey a direct order from your clan leader and now you jeopardize your whole clan's future – and for what? For a nitwit who could not find his own _behind_ with a compass, much less the right path in life."

The man was pointing at Sasuke now and the Uchiha finally realized all those names were reserved for him. He let the comments roll off of him, as he had done with the stares and whispers; this reaction really was no surprise to him. But the rest had him confused – disobeying an order, risking her clan?

Not to mention that she had a clan in the first place that he'd never known about.

"Haruno-san, that is enough. Sakura is old enough to make her own decisions." Kakashi couldn't take it anymore and stepped up for his little girl. Although he did caution Sasuke and Naruto to silence – they would accomplish nothing with their underdeveloped skills in diplomacy.

"Not if her decisions are foolish and immature, Hatake. She cannot risk her clan's survival for a worthless traitor."

Alright, now Sasuke was getting a little piqued. He took a few steps forward, ignoring Kakashi's restraining hand on his chest.

"What the hell is your problem?"

"Ah, so he dare show his face. Have you had quite enough of cowering behind a girl then? It does not matter; I have nothing to say to the likes of you. Go back to the mud hole you belong in!"

_Oh, he was so going down now…_

It took both Naruto and the copy-nin to keep the enraged Uchiha from lunging at the old man. Sakura looked at him imploringly, her face stern and her voice demanding he listen.

"Sasuke, stop!"

"Not until he apologizes for insulting my family!" He was aware that he was sounding quite childish, but his family's honour and memories was all he had left of them. A mud hole? How dare the old geezer say such things of his parents…

"Your family?" The man was laughing at Sasuke's temper tantrum. "But no, _dear_ _child_, I have no intention to insult your family. I am talking about _you_, and no one else."

"Your family was one of the most beloved clan's in this village, feared by our enemies and held in the highest esteem by our allies. Your father was an honourable man with impeccable morals and conduct. Your grandfather was the bravest man to ever grace this earth and I am still deeply honoured to be known as his best friend, to have been called a brother by him. For decades we sat in the council together until that monster took him away."

"No, brat, I would not ever insult your family. I love them like my own and would never see their memory sullied. But you – you have insulted them!"

"How dare you!"

"**You are a fool!**" The man was shaking his head at Sasuke. "You turned your back on them and all they stood for. The day you betrayed Konoha, you betrayed them. You spat on their graves and still you don not realize what you have done."

"Seventy years ago, when all the clan's were still bolstering themselves with their independence and laughed at the thought of uniting in one small village, _your_ family was the first to settle in Konoha. They founded the Elder Council and the Police Force, supporting the Shodaime with everything they had. They _lived_ for Konoha, they _died_ for Konoha, they defended it with their very souls – and you? You were willing to give our greatest enemy the means to destroy what your family built with blood and tears!"

Sasuke was left speechless and panting, his body hanging limply between his two team mates. His eyes wide, he stared at the old man, his anger evaporating in face of the truth. There was nothing he could say to defend himself and he felt like a child, chastised by his father and ashamed to not have been able to fulfil his family's expectations.

"Shoutarou-sama, please, he has been punished by the council. There is no need for this treatment." Sakura was trying to bring the focus back to herself, but Sasuke was already too far gone to feel grateful.

"I will treat him as I see fit." The old man turned back to the kunoichi. "And you will finish this ridiculous mission and never again associate yourself with _him_. You have a duty to your blood and I will not let you out of it."

They watched him turn on his heal and leave, tired and at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Sakura." Kakashi reassured her and tugged the still shocked Uchiha along the street towards the Uchiha premises. "Let's just go home."

Sasuke didn't notice the passing people and buildings, blind to the change in scenery when they entered through the gates into the Uchiha grounds. Vaguely he heard the copy-nin tell Naruto to leave them alone for a while something about having a talk, but he didn't react to any of it and didn't protest when Kakashi led him to the training grounds. Sakura was gone from his side, but he couldn't tell when she had left.

And then Kakashi doused him with a bottle of water and he was left spluttering obscenities at his old teacher. Wiping water from his face, he glared at the older man and barely restraint himself from slugging him.

"The _hell_?"

"Well, usually you slap people in shock to get them back to reality, but I thought I'd try the water first. Seemed the safer route…" The copy-nin pushed him towards one of the boulders. "Here, sit down. It's time we had a talk."

Sasuke slumped down and put his head in his hands. "Who _was_ that guy?"

"Haruno Shoutarou, Sakura's grandfather and head of the Haruno clan."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in Kakashi's direction. _Her grandfather? _

"Don't listen to him, Sasuke. He _is_ right about your family, but he doesn't know _shit_ about you. It's easy to judge when you're not personally involved. You did what you thought you had to do, you've seen the mistakes you've made and you acknowledged that you were wrong. Once the council puts you back on duty, no one can hold your past against you anymore."

"What if _I_ do?"

"That's something you'll have to come to terms with on your own. But maybe this'll help." Kakashi paused and sat down next to Sasuke, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "The day of the hearing, when I brought your brother his robes, he told me that he couldn't wear them because they belonged to your father. I will tell you the same I told him back then – your parents already forgave you, because that's what parents do – they love their children no matter what. They never blamed you and what everyone else thinks is insignificant."

Sasuke nodded his thanks, deeply touched by the older man's words – Kakashi was right, no matter how true the accusations rang in Sasuke's mind, this was between him and his parents and the old geezer didn't know how it had been to live with the tragedy. As long as the council, and more importantly his friends, took him back then there was no reason to drown in regret. Yes, he had a lot to make up for, but that was his business and no one else's.

Taking a deep breath he replayed the old geezer's words and tried to concentrate on the things he'd said about Sakura. He'd obviously been furious with her, apparently for standing by Sasuke. But there were other things he had mentioned that had Sasuke confused.

"Sakura's not one to disobey orders – what was that all about?"

"When Shoutarou found out about the hearing, he ordered her not to stand up for you, not to defend you." Kakashi heaved a deep sigh. "Clan politics are an ugly business, Sasuke. There's a lot of back and force just for appearance' sake. I think he feared she might fall into public disgrace in case you were convicted. And with her, her clan's standing in general would have gone down."

"That's another thing – what's all this about 'risking her clan's future' and lowering her clan's standing?" He was earnestly interested now and hoped Kakashi had some of the answers – as cagey as Sakura had been when they'd been shopping for his clothes, he doubted she would answer any of his questions.

"It's very simple, Sasuke. She, just as Naruto and I, stood up for you as attorney and character witness, we gave our good names and reputations as reference and showed we trusted you to have seen the error of your ways and to return to the right path. That makes us, in a way, responsible for the council's resulting verdict."

"And should you or your brother go back to your criminal ways, we would be held responsible for your actions, since we petitioned for you to be given a second chance. In essence that means, if you screw up, we go to prison with you, or to the gallows, depending on the council."

"On what grounds?" Sasuke asked incredulous.

"Treason, aiding a known traitor, conspiracy and, in case you kill someone, even second degree murder. You know, all the really _fun_ charges…"

"I never asked any of you to…"

"**_No_, you didn't**, because you would never ask _anyone_ for a favour. But we did it anyway, because that's what we do, because we trust you not to screw up, because we care! And you have a lousy way of repaying that trust, you ungrateful brat!"

Sasuke looked away from Kakashi angry face and even gave the older man a little "sorry". It was more than the copy-nin had hoped for and he calmed down. He knew the brat still had to work on his people skills, but he had come a long way already and in time he would get better at it…

"_Anyway_, does that answer your questions about Sakura?"

"So, if _I_ screw up, _she_ goes to prison and her _clan_ looses face – is that it?"

"Actually, it's a lot worse than just loosing face. Sasuke, think! I just told you that her grandfather is clan leader, what does that make her?" Kakashi prompted him with a wave of his hand.

"The heir of the clan leader?" Sasuke thought that one over again. "Which would make her… the future clan leader…" He trailed of, surprised, and turned to the older man.

"Exactly! In one year and a little less than a month, Sakura turns twenty-one and on that day she will be officially introduced as the new leader of the Haruno clan. And those _errands_ she's always running are actually lessons she has to attend, about history and politics and such things… " Kakashi paused, his voice turning dark. "But with the future clan leader in prison, or worse executed as a traitor, leadership will fall into the hands of a distant cousin of hers."

"No wonder her grandfather was angry with her."

"Oh, you don't know half of it. Her cousin is a rat! He's been treating her like dirt all her life, out of envy. He's a pitiful excuse for a human being and a below-average shinobi. And right now, he's just waiting for _you_ to screw up!"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know some of you asked for continuing angst in your reviews, but for the time being, I decided against it and have them all heal a little instead. I think it's better for Sasuke to get off his ass and finally do something, if he's so uncomfortable with Itachi – and so he does. They're (obviously) not talking yet, but he makes an effort to seek his brother out and spend time with him, and hopefully they'll both start to heal now. **

**Instead I brought in a little of Sakura's family – it's more drama than angst, really. Shoutarou is not canon, but he represents the part of Konoha that is still very angry with Sasuke. While Hiashi for example was understanding at the hearing (in a way, I think he can empathize with Sasuke, since he too has a kind of tragedy in his past with Neji's father), others aren't so willing to forgive him. **

**And Shoutarou is kind of my way of telling Sasuke all the shit I want to scream at him sometimes. And yes, his rant was a little over the top, but there is still truth in it. The Uchihas were a Konoha clan after all and Sasuke did turn against Konoha by siding with Orochimaru, so in a way, he did turn against his family's believes and ideals.**

**But from here on out it will get a little lighter, of course there are still clouds on the horizon, so it won't be all hugs and roses in the future, but a little lighter nonetheless. There's still the Akatsuki out there and the demon to deal with and Sakura's family will come into play too, but for now it'll all calm down a little.**

**As a little appetizer for the following chapter: Coming up next will be the confrontation of the century - The Uchiha Brothers vs. Pop culture! (_And they thought the demon was the real enemy... 'giggle' ...silly, little Uchihas…_) **

**The lyrics at the beginning are partials from the song "Your Winter" by Sister Hazel. They represent Sasuke in this chapter and his slow journey towards healing. They also fit very well into the Forgiveness-theme of this chapter – there are many things Sasuke has to forgive and many he has to be forgiven for and he slowly realizes that it is possible to move on from the past and still stay true to himself and the promise he gave to avenge his family. He finally starts to remember the good things and the brother he used to love. And at the same time he acknowledges that he screwed up (by turning traitor on his team and on Konoha, as well as by bottling up his anger and directing it all on his brother and hurting him) and has to make up for it. So he starts by slowly taking steps into his brother's direction and confronting his own feelings. And by being a little more understanding and compassionate with others, as shown in the scene with Sakura…**

**And no, Ino did not get pregnant at sixteen, that's just too cliché, and she and Shika did not cause a big scandal. Sasuke's just being a little dramatic there… Their story will be explained later, but there is more to the child then teenage pregnancy or anything as silly as that.**

**Thank you for all your reviews. 15 – a new record! Thank you XyoushaX, VanetiaC, onigiri-kun, abovetheroof, honouring death, lonely-Umbreon455, passion, Sirona of Arabia, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, moodiful819, ViOlEt-KAt, Christina, HokiPoki1213, UnknownFellah and silver cherryblossom.**

**XyoushaX: Actually, I'm not a high schooler anymore, haven't been one for uhh… 6 years, I think. And I still like Rilke. Yeah, he's a little over the top with the melodrama, but I'm not much of a poetry person anyway, so my taste is probably not very refined. The two I have used in this fic are just… I don't know, I like them and I doubt that will change…**

**C.A.M.E.O: psychologist-in-training huh. I sure hope you didn't analyze too much into that chapter. I mean, I know I'm slightly cracked sometimes, but uhh I'm not crazy, right? _'ahem'_ Moving on now. Seriously though, that chapter isn't too 'out there', is it? Of course it's all fictional, but the whole mind world thingy wasn't too over the top, was it? And the symbolism was somewhat correct, I hope…**

**UnknownFellah: I love angst, too. But I had to move on here or the story would never end. As I said above, there are still a lot of things to tell and just because Sasuke's trying for now, doesn't mean he is actually always succeeding. But the things he saw in the last chapter did touch him and he does realize that his brother is not to blame. So he makes a conscious effort to better himself. But never fear, there's still dark times to come…**

**silver cherryblossom: Actually, the title is an episode title from the show CSI. All my chapter titles so far have been from my favourite TV shows. It's a little tic of mine, to use episode titles to mirror what happens in the chapter and pay a little homage to those shows. Don't know how to explain it, like I said, it's a tic…**

**But here's a little breakdown of the references so far:**

**_Afterboom_, _Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!_ and _Forgiveness and Stuff _are from Gilmore Girls (at least that _was_ one of my favourite shows until Lorelai actually _married_ the Incredible Impregnating Douchebag… _'sigh'_ Poor Luke, but it's slowly getting better again)**

**_The Winchester Tapes_ and _Follies of the Living – Concerns of the Dead_ are from MASH**

**_Cold Lazarus_, _Forever in a Day, The Devil You Know_ and _Shades of Grey_ are from Stargate SG1**

**And _Monster in a Box_ is from CSI (god, I love the miniature serial killer storyline)**

**Okay, that's it for now (this chapter was rather long, wasn't it?), I hope you liked it and please leave a review.**

**See you next time**

**P.S. I was going to put this up yesterday, but the side wouldn't let me log in. Anyone know what's up with that?**


	11. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Chapter 11

**Lost and Found

* * *

**

"Alright, what the hell happened?"

Sasuke and Kakashi turned surprised to the voice coming from behind them. Itachi was standing just around the boulder, a concerned expression on his face. When they both stayed silent, the older Uchiha explained his presence.

"Sakura-san locked herself into her house and there's this angry black cloud hovering right over her roof that's making me kind of nervous. Naruto is pacing and mumbling indefinable things about '_wackos'_ and '_old_ _lunatics'_." He paused and pointed at Sasuke. "And _you_ look very much like our father did whenever his mother-in-law came for a visit. So, what _happened_ out there?"

"We ran into Sakura's grandfather…" was all Kakashi said on the matter, he'd rather forget the whole incident.

"Shoutarou?" The older Uchiha asked for clarification and winced when the copy-nin nodded. "Ouch!"

"You know him?" Sasuke's interest in the conversation rapidly increased and he couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice. The look his brother gave him however made him wonder even more – Itachi seemed confused that the younger Uchiha didn't know the answer to that question himself. Nonetheless he replied without commenting on it.

"Enough to know that I don't want to know him any better!"

"Let's just forget about it for now – it's unlikely to happen again anyway." Kakashi told them as he stood up and wiped his pants. "He said his piece and that's usually the end for him, he's just gonna give you the silent treatment from now on and that's actually a lot better than having him talk to you. You might wanna watch out for his wife, though…"

He pulled Sasuke up by the shoulders, gave him an encouraging slap on the arm and led the way back to the houses. Sasuke vowed to bring Sakura's family up later with both older men, preferably when the kunoichi was far far away from the premises.

They found Naruto still pacing in the living room and Kakashi explained the necessities about their encounter to him. Afterwards the Kyubi boy was immediately on his way to cheer up his Sakura-chan, but the copy-nin held him back and told him to let her be for now – she was, after all, used to her grandfather's behaviour and fully capable of dealing with it.

That concluded their discussion for now and when Sakura eventually left her house that evening no one mentioned it again. Sasuke felt relieved to see her smiling again, determination shining in her eyes. That was the Sakura he knew, not the emotionless doll he'd seen bowing before her grandfather…

At dinner they introduced Yamato, Sai and Itachi to Naruto's plans for a party and the three men agreed with varying degrees of enthusiasm that it was one of his better ideas. Suffice to say, Sasuke was not a happy camper, but kept silent – he was in the minority anyway. Next to him, Sakura was also quiet, apparently not all that excited about this development either.

The next day Kakashi had given them all the day off as Naruto's bunshin had taken car of most of the debris from his destruction activities and the rest of the houses could wait for now. The copy-nin himself had taken his leave shortly after breakfast and his whereabouts were unknown – Sasuke was sure he didn't _want_ to know anyway.

He'd spend the morning observing Sakura and Shizune putting Itachi through multiple tests with charts and various lenses and even some _doodad_ that enabled them to view his brother's eyes up close – it gave him the creeps, no one should look into another's eyes _that_ deeply…

Shizune had gone back into town to give their data under a false name to an optician who would craft the glasses and she would bring them by once they were ready. It wouldn't take long, she'd assured them.

Afterwards Itachi and Yamato were playing Go again and by noon Sasuke had gotten tired of watching them. The fight between Sakura and Ino was nagging at his thoughts and he didn't want to have this _party_ if the both of them were cranky with each other – they'd probably end up blowing their tops at the worst moment possible and he already saw himself right in the middle of it. Not a pretty outlook for his future…

But, Sasuke being Sasuke, he couldn't come out and talk to her about it, so he went with the only way of extracting information he had learned – beating it out of her. Of course, he didn't plan on actually hurting her (much), but a little sparring would surely get him what he wanted.

Searching for her, he entered the house she lived in without knocking – technically it was his house, after all – and looked around. It was relatively small, especially in contrast to the main building right next door, but had more than enough room for one person. The entire ground floor was made up of one big room that she'd apparently chosen for her living room cum workstation and in the back a small kitchen was separated by a counter.

She'd taken the time to paint some of the walls in lively and light colours – the kitchen yellow, the living room with a small touch of blue – and there were plants literally everywhere. It looked like a small jungle. And dab in the middle stood a piano, polished and gleaming, and he wondered how she had gotten it into the house without him noticing…

And books – he'd never seen so many books outside a library, it was a small miracle those shelves didn't break under their collective weight. The walls were almost completely covered with shelves and still there were books piled up on every available surface – especially her desk. Yes, this was exactly how he'd imagined her home to look – chaos organized with a system only she could comprehend.

He had to give her credit for the absence of anything too girly though…

He could hear her walking around upstairs and decided to snoop a bit before making his presence know – of course, he didn't call it 'snooping', just… gathering important information …_yes_, he smirked, _gathering information sounded a lot better_.

Making his way through the shrubbery of the living room towards the desk standing under one of the windows, he eyed the individual flowerpots with distrust. He wasn't quite sure he liked the appearance of some of those plants – knowing her, most of them were probably poisonous and/or allergenic and she'd taken them in for _study_. He wouldn't put it past her to have carnivorous ones in here, too…

When he finally reached the desk, he took a deep breath and started to pick up some of the books, reading their title and dismissing them as unexciting – medicine had never been his forte and some of the titles alone made even his genius brain dizzy. _Varicella zoster, Hypertrichosis_… it all sounded _fascinating_, really.

_And exactly how many different books on viral infections did one medic-nin need? _He'd counted ten so far and he was only on the first shelve…

Labelling this shelve as 'boring', he continued to the next and browsed the book spines. _Freud_? What was she doing with literature on psychology – she was a medic, not a shrink.

There were a lot more of this kind, by other authors and more specialised on particular disorders – general military psychiatry and Post-traumatic stress disorder in particular were the most prominent (he did understand her interest in this, it was sadly rather common in her field). But others had topics usually not associated with their occupation and some of them – especially those about narcissism, depression and the resulting trauma of abuse victims – made him uncomfortable and he quickly moved on.

Passing the shelves, he saw history and politics, as well as physics, chemistry and biology were present in a wide variety and a few looked even quite interesting, but he'd hoped for something more personal. He'd always known her brain had an enormous capacity and her curiosity was of unchallenged intensity, so her interest in all kinds of sciences didn't really tell him anything he hadn't already known. He was looking for the things she read for fun – fables and stories, like the books she'd given him in the hospital.

Finally, he came to a cabinet, about waist-high and with glass doors in front. On it stood an old-fashioned record player not unlike the one his father used to have – a phonograph. Funny, he'd never imagined her as someone who enjoyed revelling in nostalgia.

He opened the lower part of the cabinet and found the accompanying records – maybe forty in total. Crouching in front of the cabinet, he pulled out a few records and examined them with a small bubble of excitement growing in his gut. He'd never considered the side of her that was the private Sakura and he found he desired to get to know her better.

He'd seen far more of the dobe and Ink Boy than he ever wanted to, over the last few weeks, but Kakashi and Sakura were still mysteries and he couldn't help but wish it were different. All this time they'd spend as a team, but deep down they were all strangers to him and his absence hadn't exactly helped either. Maybe it was time to remedy that.

Not to mention it infuriated him that the stupid artist-nin apparently knew a lot more about Sasuke's team mates and constantly tried to goad him with that knowledge. Did they have to replace him with such an imbecile?

Looking over the covers – _Led Zeppelin? He'd heard that before, but what in the world were those guys wearing? And what the hell was an 'ABBA', anyway?_– he didn't hear her footsteps on the stairs and subsequently jumped in surprise, letting go of all the records in the process, when she put a hand on his shoulder, accompanied by a stern "Sasuke!"

"Argh, don't do that! Those are fragile!" And with a glare, she kneeled next to him and picked them up, cradling them carefully as if they were her most prized possessions, while he was still trying to regulate his heart beat – _shit, when had she gotten so damn quiet?_

"Uh…"

"What are you doing, Sasuke? You could have broken them."

"Uh…" _Dammit, where was his genius brain when you needed it?_ He couldn't very well admit that he'd been snooping around her home – yes alright, he'd been _snooping_, but he couldn't tell _her_ that.

"Do you have any idea what these are worth?"

"Uhm… no?" _How should he really_ – he'd never been interested in music anyway…

"Some of these are irreplaceable first-editions, up to fifty years old! You can't go throwing them around, Sasuke, they aren't Frisbees!" She put the records back into the cabinet, except for one and held it up to his face. "This is an authentic 1968 edition of "_The White Album_" by The Beatles, with all four of their autographs. And it's not replaceable, because two of those four band members are already _dead_!"

"Okay…" Alright already, he'd gotten the point, but apparently she wasn't finished yet.

"Sasuke, _this_ is worth more than your life! **Don't** _ever_ touch it again!" Her voice was strangely calm and he could see her threat was serious. She carefully put the album back and stood up, hands on hips and face contorted in a frown.

"Sakura," he asked as he stood up, voice tentative and eyes still slightly widened at her vehemence. "What is an _Abba_?"

_Damn this newfound curiosity…_

The look she shot him clearly showed she thought he was going crazy, and then she started laughing. He pushed his hands into his pockets, pouting (only a little) and ready to leave, when she put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"They," she explained. "It's _they_, not _it_. They are a band, Sasuke, from Sweden and were very popular in the seventies. You've really never heard of them?" The disbelief was written all over her face and he had no answer.

"Waterloo, Mamma Mia, Chiquitita, Fernando, Super Trouper... You've never heard of _any_ of these songs?"

"They sing about _bananas_?" It was his turn to be incredulous.

"What? What are you…" Realization dawned on her. "Oh. No, it's Chiqui-**ti-**ta! It has nothing to do with bananas, trust me. It means 'little girl' in Spanish, or something like that."

"Oh…"_ Now he really felt stupid._

"What are you doing here anyway?"

_Right, he'd come here for a reason…_

"Let's go spar." Not waiting for a reply, he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the house – just in case she had any more of those invaluable possessions he shouldn't touch.

"Wait, I'm not dressed for sparing." He eyed her sweatpants and wide t-shirt.

"You're fine." He told her nonchalantly and kept going. "Now come on."

They entered the training grounds and he went over his plan again, letting go of her so she could make herself ready.

"Okay, here're the rules." He started to explain. "I won't use the Sharingan and you won't use your weird strength. Let's just do a taijutsu match without any chakra at all."

"Uhm, if you want…" She was clearly suspicious of his intentions, she knew him good enough to know it was unusual for him not to go to the extreme, even in a simple sparring match.

The fight started out understated, both unwilling to really go at each other. He noted she was a little sloppy with her aim and seemed preoccupied – probably that stupid disagreement with Ino, but at least it gave him a good opening.

"That all you have, Sakura?" Goading her was just too easy, especially by questioning her capability as it made her furious – a lesson Ink Boy obviously still had to learn.

Instead of answering she tried to punch him, but her anger made her predictable and he ducked, returning with a kick to her midsection. Still distracted she took too long to realize his intention and ducked too late, his foot made contact with the side of her ribcage and she landed face first in the grass.

"You're distracted, Sakura," he told her coldly. "I should have asked the dobe to train. Or maybe even Ino – I bet she could at least pull off a simple sparring match."

"You know what, Uchiha?" _Shit, she'd gotten a lot faster when he'd been gone._ He hadn't even blinked and she had jumped up and caught him in a headlock without him being able to do anything about it. "**Pull _this_ off!**"

Actually, this wasn't so bad – he'd been in the same situation before, with far less pleasing results. At least she showered on a regular basis and her anatomy was also far more comfortable than that of a male body. He shot a sly look at the pillow of flesh his cheek was pressed up against and was far too interested in it, to try and get out of her grip.

"Arrogant Bastard!" Her arm tightened around his throat and he made a feeble attempt to at least keep up the appearance that he actually wanted to free himself. Struggling a little to take a deep breath, he pulled on her arm with one hand, his other on her waist to keep his balance. This was rather amusing, for in her anger she had clearly not yet noticed exactly where his head was pushed into her side and Sasuke had no intention of telling her…

"That's what you're so pre… occupied with, isn't it," he asked, still trying to get a decent amount of air into his lungs. "This thing with Ino?"

"Leave it alone, Sasuke, it's none of your business." Her arm tightened a little more and he decided he had to sacrifice his nice pillow, if he wanted to continue arguing with her. He pushed his shin into the hollows of her knees and, in her surprise, she let go of him to catch herself with her hands before she hit the ground face first.

Immediately she was up again and facing him, but he didn't give her the time to get into a defence stance. A quick jab to the abdomen and a little twist of her arm later, she was lying on her stomach with him holding her down by crossing her arms behind her. Her legs were kicking wildly in the air and he made sure to stay out of their reach.

"Look, I don't really care whatever humbug it is you two are in a clinch about this time," he spoke calmly in her ear, "but I'm not gonna let you destroy my home when you inevitably meet at that stupid party."

"She… ugh." Sakura trashed around a little more, trying to throw him off of her, but eventually calmed somewhat and began to speak again. "She's just… being difficult and stubborn, okay? It's nothing serious…"

"Right, that's why you were trying to get the floor to open up and _swallow_ you, when we met her yesterday…"

When she didn't answer, he slackened his hold on her and stood up, reaching down a hand to help her. She ignored it and stood up on her own.

"You already told me that she was right about whatever it is – so tell her that and get this over with!"

"What, so she can hold that over my head forever?" She snorted and shook her head. "And look who's talking – when was the last time that you admitted to being wrong, huh? Oh wait, that would be never, because the _Almighty Uchiha_ is never wrong – right?"

"This isn't about me, Sakura."

"Exactly! It has nothing to do with you, **so keep out of it!**" She wiped the dirt from her clothes and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

True, he had never admitted any of his mistakes out loud, not that there were many, but he'd always taken her for someone to be more rational about these things. She'd apologized for wrong moves in the past, especially to him and always with a heartfelt sincerity that he could never hope to feel himself. He just wasn't programmed like that, but he knew she was, so why was it so hard for her now?

"She's an important part of your life, isn't she?" He asked, voice growing louder. "You've been friends since you were kids and a stupid disagreement is too insignificant to throw that friendship away."

She didn't answer, but the look on her face clearly told him he had no right to talk about such things – it made him feel like a heel. He really was a hypocrite, preaching to her about honesty and remorse. So when she turned her back on him and started to leave, he saw his own chances for absolution slipping away. If even _she_ lost her faith in him, who else did he have in this world…

"I was wrong, okay? Dammit, I was wrong!" He screamed after her, desperate, and she turned back to him, a look of wonder on her face. "I was wrong to leave and I was wrong to turn my back on my team and I was wrong to betray the people who trusted in me! You were right and Kakashi was right and even your damn grandfather was right – I'm nothing more than a rotten little traitor! And if I'll ever be allowed into heaven, my father's gonna chew my out so bad, I will _beg_ them to send me to hell!"

"Sasuke, I ne…" She tried to interrupt him, but he ignored her and went on; no longer able to look at her he turned his face to the ground.

"And dammit, if I can say all this to you, then you can tell Ino she was right, just this once."

Breathing heavy and shocked at himself, he stood stock still and waited for her to condemn him forever – but she didn't. She smiled at him and took his hand instead.

"You shouldn't listen to Shoutarou-sama; he has grown bitter with his age. I'm so sorry for the things he said to you, Sasuke."

"You're not accountable for your grandfather's actions, Sakura." He echoed her words from a few days ago.

"But…"

"No, a lot of what he said was right anyway." He sighed and shook his head. "Look, just go and talk to Ino, alright?"

"I will, I promise. Thank you."

And then she kissed him on the cheek and he had a hard time suppressing the tell-tale blush from rising on his face. Slightly bedazzled (and who would have thought he would ever be caught in such a state…), he didn't protest when she pulled at his hand to lead him back to her house. Once there, she sat him down at the kitchen table and busied herself with making tea. He watched her, content to spend his time with her in silence.

"I saw you reading one of the books I gave you." She began while she was waiting for the water to boil. She turned to him and leaned with her back against the counter. "You like it?"

"It's …interesting." He wasn't sure how to describe his fondness of the story and its heroes, but he had found himself swept up in their adventure.

He had to admit that he was a rather slow reader when it came to fiction, as his interest usually lay in more practical things, but with all the free time he'd had since waking up in the hospital, his boredom had driven him to read one of her books. He hadn't given it much thought at first – it was just something to keep his mind of his brother – and simply chosen one by the absence of colourful pictures on the cover. But soon he didn't want to put it away anymore and, without him noticing, it became important to find out what happened to these fictional characters. Would they make it, would they find a way to overcome the shadows and live to see their world in peace again?

"It's one of my favourites." Sakura told him and he listened with care, curious about her view of the story. "My mom gave it to me when I was about nine. Apparently it belonged to my father once and she wanted me to get to know him by showing me what he was interested in."

"She always used to say that he was like Sam." Sasuke looked at her quizzically, hoping she would elaborate. Seeing his face, she shook her head a little and smiled, her eyes glazed with tears and memories. "Because he wanted to see the Elves..."

"There are no elves, Sakura."

"How do you know? Have you gone to the ends of the earth and searched for them? And what if they just don't want to be found?"

"Sakura."

"So what if they're fictional, Sasuke." She turned back to the stove and fidgeted with her hands. "That's not what it was about for him. It was about following your dreams and breaking the norm, about seeing what this world has to offer, its beauty and magic. And he did, he actually left Konoha to travel the world, before he had to become clan leader."

The water was boiling by now and she prepared their tea. When she brought over his cup, her eyes were clear again and her hands still.

"I'm sorry, I'm just being overly emotional again…" He nodded his understanding, he had lost himself in the memories of his family often and, although it didn't usually show in his countenance, his heart wrenched at the mere thought of his mother's face.

"It's a very special book, Sasuke." She remained standing as their conversation turned back to the story itself. "I've lost count of how many times I've read it. I don't know what it is about that story, but it just grabs you and you don't ever want it to end."

"Yeah," he quietly agreed and sipped his tea. Her eyes seemed to alight at this and he was glad he could bring such an expression to her face.

"It just has everything – the wise old leader, the true heroes who never thought of themselves as such and just do what they have to do, friendship and trust to the very end…"

"And Boromir the Traitor…" Sasuke's face grew dark and his voice bitter as he looked into his steaming tea, too deep the reminder of his failings.

"Boromir was not a traitor!" The sudden chastisement in her voice made him look up again. She had put down her cup and her hand rested on the counter, her face turned slightly away from him and her eyes trained on the distance. "He was a brave man who loved his people more than his own life. All he wanted was to see them safe from harm and to defend them as best as he could. But he knew he alone didn't have the strength to ward of Mordor's armies and in the end he lost hope, giving the ring the chance to lure him into its promises."

"He was a desperate man who made a mistake!" She locked eyes with him and he could see tears in them. "But he was never a traitor!

And her eyes silently finished: '_And neither are you…_'

Overcome with relief and an emotion his slowly mending soul could not yet grasp, he stood up and pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tightly. His forehead fell onto her shoulder and his arms around her as if they belonged and for the first time since the demise of his clan, there was a glimmer of hope for his future.

"Sasuke, what…" Unused to such an intense burst of emotion from him, Sakura stood in shock, her arms still limply at her sides and her eyes wide.

"Thank you" he whispered and she understood. Her arms slowly came up to rest around his waist and her head rested against his.

"I never blamed you, Sasuke. I may have been angry, but I never blamed you…"

Outside the window, unnoticed by the two, Kakashi smiled and decided Sasuke's new training schedule could wait for now.

-----

He was preparing for his first real training with the copy-nin in eight years, when Sakura came running up to him the next morning. She wasn't smiling, but her eyes shone with mischief and determination. They'd spend the rest of the day in quiet after their embrace, both of them reading on the patio of the main house, neither mentioning the incident to anyone. It was the first time he had felt this content in anyone's presence.

Now however she seemed …bouncy – yes, bouncy would probably describe her current attitude best. Once she came to a stop in front of him, he raised an eyebrow and silently continued to strip bandages on his legs. Kakashi had surprised him this morning by presenting him with a new training outfit. Not saying a word about it, the copy-nin had handed him the package and told him to meet him in thirty minutes.

The clothes were similar to his old uniform, but with full-length, midnight blue pants instead of his old shorts. The shirt was white and far better fitted than what he'd worn in the Sound. It fit relatively snug and only had very short sleeves, the high collar was missing also – stitched on the back was the large Uchiha fan of his genin days and Sasuke had stared at it for a long time before putting it on.

Clearly annoyed that he was ignoring her in favour of some cotton stripes, Sakura bounced on the balls of her feet and swung her arms back and forth, nearly hitting him with the bag she was holding. He sighed – that had definitely been intentional – and decided it was probably better for his health to at least _greet_ her verbally.

"Morning…"

"Aren't you gonna ask me what I'm up to?" _Yep, definitely annoyed with him_. Still, he kept on with his preparations and stayed silent. Her face grew slightly red and he knew it wasn't because she was blushing. This was rather amusing – maybe he should tease her more often.

"Well, for your information, _I_ am going to talk to Ino." She gave him a glare when he still didn't respond and continued. "Once I have her tied to a chair, we will hopefully be able to get over this stupid fight."

"And if simple words of apology are not enough for her thick skull, then I'm gonna make her watch this movie with me, because this is our '_We'll-be-friends-forever-and-ever'_ movie." She held up one of those DVD packs and he could read the title '_Beaches'_ on it. "And then we'll eat lots of ice cream and cry a lot and scream a lot and cry some more and then we'll hug. So don't expect me back until late afternoon. Bye."

He stared after her, blinking.

_Boy, was he glad not to have to witness this reunion…_

The thought of crying females still kind of freaked him out and Ino screaming was an even more frightening idea. He shuddered, that woman had a voice not unlike nails on a chalkboard when angered – he'd heard her and Sakura screeching at each other to last him a lifetime when they'd been genin. At least this time they wouldn't try to play tug-o-war with him in the process…

And why would they need a movie to make up? And Ice cream?

_Females_, he thought, _were not only complicated, but also confusing and strange…_

Two hours later, Sasuke finally completed his five hundredth round around the Uchiha grounds and collapsed, cursing the copy-nin in three different languages. And the old man was just sitting on that stupid rock, reading that deranged book of his. Next to him, the dobe was chuckling at the sight of the Uchiha and it was all that was needed to get Sasuke back on his feet.

"Gotten a little lazy, sitting around the house, ne Sasuke?"

"Shut it, dobe."

"Don't call me dobe, teme! Or I'll kick your ass from here to Suna!"

"I'd like to see you try, _dobe_!"

"Argh, that's it, teme…"

Kakashi didn't look up from his book, he didn't have to – it was inevitable for those two to clash…

And this way, he didn't have to fight the littlest Uchiha himself to see his improvements – a development that made the copy-nin more than happy, he wasn't in the mood for fighting right now.

When lunch time came around, Kakashi called his hoodlums to a break. They were still going at it, apparently fuelled by little more than their childish rivalry, and he didn't want them to get too injured with Sakura out. The last time he had taken Naruto and Sai (both only half-conscious and bleeding literally everywhere) to the Hokage for healing, she'd ripped him a new one for letting them go so far during a simple training match and he didn't relish the idea of repeating that experience.

Besides, he was expecting a visitor and didn't want to leave Itachi alone with her for too long, the boy was still weary of human contact and Kakashi wasn't sure how he would react to seeing one of his old classmates again.

"Okay, enough already, you two. Sakura's gonna have my head if you kill each other…"

Grudgingly they agreed and he sent them back to the main house to shower before lunch. He stayed behind and cleaned up their stray weaponry. Their fight had been mostly carried out with fists and feet (and even the occasional use of teeth), but a few stray shuriken and kunai had filled the air – mostly to show off, he suspected, since none of their wounds were actually caused by them. Either the two had really gotten sloppy or they had been holding back big time. He hoped for the latter.

Sasuke grumbled under his breath on the way back, his hands pushed into his pockets and face turned away from the dobe, still cranky about the other man's taunts. But a small part of him did enjoy the fight and for a moment it had felt as if he had never left, so similar it had been to their past. Only Sakura hadn't been there cheering for him this time, but that wasn't permanent, so maybe everything could be normal again.

Naruto's elbow connected with his rips and brought him out of his remembrance.

"What, dobe?"

Naruto nodded his head to their right and gestured for him to stop walking. Looking over, Sasuke saw his brother talking to a woman with long, dark-brown hair, dressed in a jounin vest and black shorts. Around her feet, three huge, grey dogs were resting, one lying down, one sitting and the third standing, its gaze travelling the area.

"Who's she?" He quietly asked the Kyubi boy and pushed him closer to the wall of the house, to keep them out of view, peeking around the corner to watch his brother. Shizune must've been by while they'd been training – Itachi was awkwardly pushing the new glasses up his nose and Sasuke couldn't quite contain a small smile at his brother's discomfort. It did look kind of funny…

"Kiba's big sister, Hana."

"Hn"

Itachi cleared his throat uncomfortably, unsure how to talk to this woman. She seemed vaguely familiar, but after twelve years away most people in the village did, yet they had all changed so much, he couldn't quite relate them to the memories in his head. Sakura-san had been no more than seven the last time he'd seen her when walking by the Academy, but her pink hair had made it easy for him to recognize her.

However the sight of Hiashi had shocked him – the leader of the Hyuga clan had grown old, his hair grey at his temples and his face weary with age, so unlike the imposing and fearsome man he had known back then. Many faces in the witness rows had stared at him at the hearing and he still could not name most of them. They hadn't had many visitors over the last two weeks, mostly Shizune and the Hokage, but he hadn't known them when he was young.

The woman before him now looked his own age and that meant he must've at least seen her at the academy in his short time there. And the triangles on her cheeks were very distinguishable, as were the three dogs, one of whom glared at him ominously.

"Hello…" he trailed of. She had called him by his name just now and he couldn't return that politeness, it was shaming really – Father would have had a field day over this.

"I'm here to look at Pakkun. Kakashi told me he was feeling a little under the weather lately?" She smiled at him and he had the distinct feeling that she had never really done so before, but he couldn't explain why.

"Yeah, he's grumpy and won't eat much." Itachi pushed the slowly slipping glasses back up his nose and fumbled a little with them. This thing was highly displeasing and awkward, but there was little he could do about it. And it did feel good not to have to activate the Sharingan just to look out the window. It felt so wrong now to activate his bloodline and he avoided it as much as possible. "I think Kakashi-sempai is at the training grounds with my brother right now, but he should be back any minute."

Again he cleared his throat nervously, looking her over once more, hoping to find a clue about her identity. One of her dogs whined in boredom and finally it dawned on him.

Inuzuka – _house of dogs_ – the clan of dog breeders…

As far as he knew, they only had two children, a boy and a girl – the boy was his brother's age and the girl had been his own age.

"You don't remember me, do you?" She asked kindly and he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed.

"I'm …getting there."

In his mind he saw a six-year old girl with dark-brown locks standing up in every direction:

_Her face is contorted with anger and her fist raised against the sun behind her. She is standing over him and he tries to stem the blood flow from his, most likely broken, nose._

_Suddenly her finger is but a breath away from his face, pointing straight between his eyes._

"_Just because someone is different from you, Uchiha Itachi, doesn't mean they're lesser people than you!"_

_She is screaming and he is speechless. And her stupid dog is still gnawing at his boot…_

"Inuzuka Hana and her ever hungry Haimaru Triplets." The grey beast glaring at him began growling and flashed him a smile of big, sharp teeth. Obviously it still remembered the kick he had given it for eating his textbook.

"They've grown out of their chewing phase, don't worry." She laughed at his description and he found himself chuckling with her, unable to quell the small blush on his cheeks.

Sasuke and Naruto listened in on them, but were startled when two calloused hands grabbed each of them by one shoulder.

"Don't do that, Kakashi-sensei. You could have given me a heart attack."

"Naruto, how often do I have to tell you not to call me sensei anymore? And you two shouldn't eavesdrop!"

"Hn." Which for Sasuke meant something along the lines of '_I'll do as I please, thank you very much!'_

The copy-nin took a quick look around the corner and assessed Itachi's situation.

"Well, he seems to be holding his own, but I better go rescue him now. You two get showered already."

They waited until Kakashi had disappeared into the house with Hana and then made their way over to Itachi. Sasuke could see Naruto was very much inclined to make fun of his brother over the blush they'd witnessed and he had no intention to stop him. This was a side of Itachi he had never seen and it intrigued him.

Itachi however saw them coming and guessed what they were up to by the matching smiles they were sporting.

"Not a word!"

"Or you'll what?"

"Or I'll show Sakura-san all your baby pictures. I'm sure she'll be delighted, little brother."

"Ha, but you've got nothing on me!" Naruto exclaimed and was about to launch himself into a myriad of laughter at Itachi's expense, when the older Uchiha smirked in an all too familiar way.

"You sure about that?" The Kyubi boy was a little frightened now, Itachi looked far too much like his younger brother when he was smirking and on Sasuke the expression usually meant he still had a trump up his sleeve – which in turn usually meant misery for Naruto. He decided it was better to shut up now and get out of this with his dignity (and limbs) intact…

"Good," Itachi took the Kyubi boy's silence for what it was and grabbed the chance to change the subject. "Lunch will be ready soon, you should freshen up."

"Wait," Sasuke stopped him from turning away; it was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. "How do you know Sakura's grandfather?"

"Sasuke, what?" Itachi had the feeling his brother intended to interrogate him. He'd expected questions after Kakashi had clammed up about the subject two days ago, but he thought his brother had more manners than to come right out and ask him like this.

"You said you know enough about him – how?"

"So you really don't remember…" The older Uchiha said more to himself than as an answer to Sasuke's question. "You were probably too young back then."

Sasuke looked at him puzzled and Itachi shook himself out of his musings.

"Do you still have our old photo albums? They could help explain a lot of your questions."

Sasuke nodded and told him they were still in the main house, in a bookshelf in the living room, where they had always been kept.

"Okay, tell you what – you go shower, I'll get the photos."

They met in the living room; Itachi was browsing the pictures when Sasuke and Naruto walked in. Two large sofas stood on opposite sides of the coffee table, a chair at each end. The table was filled with the albums – they were sorted by year Sasuke knew, but he had not looked into them since the massacre, none of them. He just couldn't and he wasn't sure he could now.

Sitting down across from the older Uchiha, the two younger men looked at him eagerly and Itachi handed them a book dated over a decade before either of the Uchiha brothers was born – his father must've been about fourteen then, Sasuke concluded. The page Itachi had opened showed several pictures of a four-man team, three of the people wore chunin vests, the one without was the only girl.

"That is Father's genin team. The one in the background was their sensei, Yuhi Noburu. And the girl is the mother of Hyuga Neji. Those two boys are Father and Haruno Shinichi – Sakura-san's father."

Sasuke blinked stunned and looked at the picture a little closer. The boys (oh, how hard it was to even think of his father as anything other than the imposing authority figure Sasuke had known him to be…) were not posing for the photo like the other two, but squabbling with each other. Most of their faces was covered by their hair, flying around in the struggle, but they were easily told apart by the hair colour – although both had dark hair, his father's was jet-black, while Shinichi's had a blood red tint to it. They were laughing.

In the next picture he could see Shinichi had apparently won and now held his father in a tight headlock, tousling his hair with a smirk. His eyes were the same vivid colour as Sakura's.

"They were friends – best friends, brothers even. Father spoke of him often when we were young and I sparred with him from time to time. He was the prodigy of the Haruno clan and a genius with poisons."

"Why don't _I_ know him then?"

"I don't know, but you were very young. Maybe you simply suppressed a lot of your childhood memories after… after I left."

Sasuke nodded, he had done exactly that. The only important memory had been his brother's face as he stood over their dead parents' bodies – it had been his motivation. Everything else was just painful and he had pushed it away, locked it up in the recesses of his mind.

He flipped through the pages of the book, but this had happened long before Sakura had ever been thought of and he became disinterested in the pictures soon. The memory Sakura had shown him came back to him, in particular Itachi's reaction when he had recognized her – the picture on the stone had changed to show her. Itachi had known her when she was young, most likely through their parents' connection – so, had Sasuke too and just didn't remember?

Next to him, Naruto had a similar train of thought and they locked eyes for a moment before turning to the older Uchiha. Guessing what was on their minds, he picked up another book and quickly skipped through it. Halting near the middle, he handed it to them.

"That's your first birthday party. You're the one in the diapers by the way."

Sasuke glared at him for a moment and turned to the pictures, shaking his head – Itachi was spending far too much time with the copy-nin.

The photos showed a lively crowd out on the patio, standing around a table. There was a big cake with a single candle in the middle and behind it was his mother, smiling at the child in her arms. With a jolt he realized that he himself was that child and his heart missed a beat.

Next to her stood the boy with the emerald eyes from the previous pictures, older now but still very much the smiling boy he had been in his teens. He was making weird faces at baby Sasuke and, apparently, back then he had found them funny and was clapping with his little hands. On her other side, his father was smiling down at him.

And Shinichi's arm was around the waist of a petite woman with black hair, not unlike his mother's, but shorter and curly. She held a second toddler in her arms who was trying in vain to reach for the cake, seemingly fascinated by the flame of the candle. The child had soft tufts of unruly pink hair and those vivid eyes shimmered with excitement and curiosity.

"Sakura," Sasuke and Naruto whispered in unison.

The younger Uchiha quickly turned the pages, looking for more appearances of her. And he found many, but one in particular caught his eye. The two toddlers (it was a strange sensation to think of himself as a baby) were playing on a blanket, squabbling over a stuffed animal, and behind them sat a girl and a boy who were neither his parents nor hers. But the boy was unmistakable – nothing about him had changed since Sasuke's first birthday it appeared.

At least nothing Sasuke could actually see, since the lower half of his face was covered by a mask and his left eye by his hitai-ate…

Hatake Kakashi was watching the children, his chin resting on his hand and a little crinkle around his visible eye.

"What's Kakashi-sensei doing there with you and Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke shot the dobe a look that clearly said: '_How the hell should I know, moron?_'

"Actually," came the voice of their teacher from the doorway, "Rin and I were babysitting."

"Rin?" Naruto asked. "As in Rin, your old…"

"Team mate? Yes." Kakashi walked over and took a seat next to Itachi. Folding his arms, he waited for the onslaught of questions.

"Why?" was all Sasuke uttered, but it said more than enough. So many questions compromised into this one word – _Why were you babysitting me? Why were you babysitting **her**? Why are you so calm about this? Why didn't you tell me?_

"Time is a strange thing, Sasuke. It can give you so much, if you're just patient enough. But it can also take everything away in a heartbeat. In our case it took away and after a few years nothing was the same anymore. When you graduated and teams were assigned, I hoped there was at least a tiny bit of remembrance left, but none of you showed even the smallest glimmer of recognition. So I thought it better to just go along with it and not force the past upon you. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake."

"You see," the copy-nin sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, "Rin was not only my team mate, but also Shinichi's little sister. I don't know the exact circumstances, but apparently the older Harunos had trouble conceiving after he was born and it took them a long time before Rin came along. Anyway, as her friend I spent a lot of time with her and her brother and eventually Sakura. Then you came along and so I also spent time with you – after your father accepted the fact that Obito had given me his Sharingan, that is."

"What happened?" Sasuke reconsidered his question and elaborated. "You said time took away from us and that everything changed. And if my brother knows about it, then it must've happened before …our parents died. So, what did it take?"

"Rin and Shinichi…" Kakashi's voice grew heavy and Sasuke could see a fine shimmer of tears gather in his visible eye.

"They died on a mission." Itachi explained quietly, when he saw the older man wasn't going to continue. "As far as I know, Rin was kidnapped and her brother and his team went after her, but they found her already dead. The team was ambushed – Shinichi didn't make it."

"He didn't make it, because he took the blow that was destined for me." The copy-nin spoke quietly and bitter, not looking at any of them, and Sasuke wasn't sure he even spoke to them. "And I didn't see it coming because I was too busy crying. I just sat there with her in my arms and waited for them to kill me too, but he wouldn't let them. I should have died that day, but fate made another twist and took him instead."

They sat in silence then, giving the grey-haired man the time to catch himself. Sasuke and Naruto continued to look through the various photo albums. Itachi wanted to reach out and tell his friend that it had never been his fault, but he kept quiet. He knew it wouldn't matter, the guilt was rooted far too deep and Kakashi would always play the what-if game – as he himself did everyday. In the end words were just words and, whether or not it really was his fault didn't change the fact that his parents were still dead…

Sasuke picked up another book and read the date on the cover – his sixth year in this world. He turned page after page and from time to time there was a stray picture of the dark-haired woman from his first birthday, but her little girl was only in one. It appeared to be his sixth birthday and she was standing far away from him, her face was sad and her gaze locked on the distance. After that she disappeared completely from the photos.

"When did they…" He voiced his question hesitantly and didn't finish it, unwilling to disturb his old teacher, but too interested now to stop.

"You were about five." Itachi answered and Kakashi snapped out of his reverie.

"Why isn't she in any of the pictures anymore?" It was Naruto this time, but Sasuke had been about to ask the same question anyway.

"That's where her grandfather comes into the story." Itachi told them. "Both his children were dead and he was left with a five-year old girl as the only heir to his clan. She was too young to step up as leader back then, so he came out of retirement to prevent the clan from falling into the hands of the branch members. He was… bitter and strict with her – I think he didn't know how to cope with the tragedy."

"And because she was a girl, she wasn't worth very much as an heir…"

"What? That's stupid! Why shouldn't a girl be just as good as a boy?" Naruto interrupted him, furious on behalf of his two favourite girls. A statement like that insulted Hinata-chan just as much as Sakura and it was the same attitude he had always hated about Hiashi-san, although he'd never dared to actually tell the older man that. And Hinata's father _had_ changed a lot over the last few years and finally paid her the attention she deserved, but their past was a sore spot for the Kyubi boy.

"That is in no way my personal opinion, Naruto. It's actually one of the reasons I never wanted to become clan leader – their politics are outdated and ridiculous. But it is the view of the world from someone like Shoutarou's perspective. For a clan leader the desired firstborn is always a male, because it makes their future a lot easier."

"The main problem is rooted in marriage." The copy-nin chimed in, now back to his old self. "It is usually tradition for the wife to take her husbands surname – but one cannot be clan leader and not have the clan's name. Because of that a female heir has a lot more problems finding a spouse than a male, as a male can marry whomever he wants and still keep his surname. And to complete the vicious circle, an unmarried clan leader cannot produce an heir and is therefore useless for her lineage."

"I told you clan politics were an ugly business, Sasuke," he said as counter for the younger Uchiha's disbelieving glare.

"So Shoutarou saw his granddaughter as more of a hindrance than a blessing," Itachi continued. "He thought as a girl she was useless and took after her mother Keiko, whom he had never liked in the first place. And to counter the physical weakness he thought she had inherited from her mother's side, he put her through lesson after lesson to strengthen her mental capacity."

"Normally this leadership training is scheduled to begin around the age of eight – that's when it started for me. But he started her only a few months after her father's death and doubled the curriculum with everything he could think of."

"Consequently her social life died down. Every minute of her life was planned out by him and Keiko was powerless against her leader, since she was at the time pregnant with her second child, whose father was now dead, and she had fallen into depressions. Sakura-san didn't have time to come here anymore, that's why she isn't in any of the pictures after your sixth birthday."

"And you stopped visiting, too." Sasuke spoke to the copy-nin – it was not a question.

"I couldn't look your father in the face, knowing I was the reason he had lost his best friend. And I wasn't very …stable back then either – I kept away from most people."

Itachi looked at his watch and realized he had forgotten all about lunch, so he beckoned them to continue the conversation over food and they transferred to the kitchen, where the older Uchiha had spend his time cooking – it was another thing that had surprised Sasuke, he hadn't known Itachi had taken lessons from their mother.

For a while they ate in silence, each contemplating their intertwined past. Naruto felt a little like an outsider in all this, Kakashi could see it in the small lines creasing his forehead and contemplated finally revealing the boy's family background. But this was about Sakura more than anyone else and the copy-nin wasn't sure he could talk about his old sensei's life today – one lost loved one was enough for one day.

Sasuke spend the first minute staring at his teacher's uncovered face as the older man began to eat. It still kind of startled him to actually see the man eat without mask, since he had made such a fuss about never taking it off in front of anyone when they'd been kids. The first time he had eaten with the copy-nin after leaving the hospital, he had stared unblinking at him, meal forgotten, until Sakura had delivered a very pointed glare and a sharp poke to him.

She had later explained how she had convinced the older man to at least show them his face once, arguing that they were his team and he should trust them enough to be himself around them. From there on they had made it a habit to eat in private from time to time and Kakashi had surprised them by never once refusing to uncover his face. And now he showed the same trust to the Uchiha brothers, but it was still a little new for Sasuke and at each meal he would be startled anew.

"What kind of lessons did she have to take?" Sasuke finally spoke up – as the future leader of the Uchiha clan he probably needed a few of those lessons himself and it couldn't hurt to know what subjects he had to brush up on, before he had to deal with the other clans in official matters.

"Correction, she _has_ to take." Kakashi answered. "Her education isn't finished until she's inaugurated."

"It's a long process to become clan leader, Sasuke." Itachi explained when his brother looked to him for confirmation. "And a painful one…"

"Rin said the same thing once," Kakashi remembered. "As second in her line, she had to have the same education as the actual heir, just in case."

"I didn't." Sasuke frowned, a little confused.

"You were too young – a year, maybe two, later you would have gone through the same." Kakashi explained.

"Be glad you didn't have to…" Itachi muttered without thinking and Sasuke angrily slammed down his chopsticks. He glared at his brother for the implied insult to their parents, but for once Itachi defended himself.

"I'm not trying to be callous, Sasuke. And god knows, if I could change what happened, I would – but I can't." His voice grew louder as he went on and Sasuke was momentarily stunned into silence. They hadn't talked openly about _that day_ yet and Sasuke hadn't planned on bringing it up any time soon, but here it was – the inevitable collision of their past and present. He wanted to be able to hate his brother again in that moment, but a little voice in his head told him to at least let the older man explain his point of view. The voice sounded suspiciously like Sakura.

"I can't turn back the clock and make it not happen; I can't bring them back to life. It would have been better if I had died that day alongside them, but I didn't and I'm still here. And I'll live for the rest of my life with the knowledge that, when it comes down to it, my hands took their lives. You have every right to hate me for what happened that day, but you cannot judge me for my resentment towards the concept of clan politics."

"This isn't about our parents, Sasuke. They didn't invent this world, they weren't the first ones to put their children though this and they won't be the last. It'll be that way for generations to come and it won't stop until the shinobi world recognizes that a name is nothing more than a few letters and that a house is not a home nor a guarantee for ability and good character."

"I never wanted to become clan leader and I would have gladly given that job to you, but Father wouldn't let me, because he had his own little schemes and plans for both our futures. I'm sure he'd planned it all out, from the women we would marry to the number of children we would have."

"Hiashi, Shoutarou, Father – they are all good men with good hearts, but their heritage and the responsibility of leadership turned them to stone when it comes to their own children. I know he loved us more than anything, but his upbringing dictated him to keep his distance from us and be the one to make our decisions. It didn't matter if we were happy or even agreeable with those decisions, so long as we did what was right for the future of the clan. And I never wanted to become that kind of man."

Sasuke stared at his brother for a long moment and everyone at the table held their breaths, waiting for his reaction. But his brother was right and Sasuke knew it – their father had had his flaws and Sasuke couldn't deny that fact. He nodded and slowly picked up his chopsticks again, resuming his meal as did everyone else.

"So, uh…" Naruto began a little awkward, trying to get back on topic. "What does she have to learn?"

"Well, I guess the short answer would be: everything." Kakashi told him and Sasuke concentrated on the conversation again. "The long answer would contain things like history, sciences, politics, calligraphy, decorum and manners, the protocol of clan traditions, the tea ceremony and the rules and laws of the clan world. And each of those topics is divided into a lot of smaller topics. History and politics for example were parted into 1. the Haruno clan, 2. the rest of the individual clans, 3. Konoha and the Fire country, 4. the rest of the hidden villages, etcetera, etcetera…"

"And her grandmother had another schedule for her." Itachi added. "She wanted to prevent her from becoming too …unfeminine, I guess, and scheduled her for things like musical lessons, dancing, cooking…"

"Sakura can't cook," Sasuke interrupted.

"Very true." The copy-nin admitted. "Try to imagine the natural _catastrophe_ she was before all those cooking lessons."

"Actually, I don't think I can…" Naruto uttered stunned and Sasuke gulped at the thought. Kakashi chuckled at the sight of their widened eyes.

"I think she hated the ballet classes the most. She once accidentally on purpose sprained her ankle just to get out of them for a while." Kakashi remembered Keiko's reaction vividly, on the one hand concerned for her little girl and on the other livid at her recklessness. "And if you want to see her really freak out, buy a harp and place it somewhere she can see it."

"A harp?" Sasuke asked perplexed.

"Yeah, one of the instruments they had her learn. One day she pulled one of the chords too much and it snapped and sliced half of her hand open… She did get to be quite good with the piano though."

"And she's been doing all that since she was _five_?"

"Yep."

"Fifteen years of classes?" Naruto asked incredulous and shuddered. "Boy, am I glad I don't have a clan."

"Ah, spoke to soon there, Naruto. If you want to marry the Hyuga girl one day, then you will have a clan sooner or later. One that is very old and very prestigious." Itachi felt the need to prepare the younger man for what was coming – he himself had never looked forward to that part of his life and Naruto was obviously clueless of the social nightmares he was setting himself up for. "Actually, I think it would be better for your mental health to ask Hinata-san for a few pointers."

"_Marriage_?" Naruto's voice was a little wobbly and high. "Whoever said anything about marriage? Hinata and I are just friends."

"You're a bad liar, dobe."

"Hiashi told you to keep it secret, didn't he?" Itachi more stated then asked. "He asked you to wait with that announcement until after you've become Hokage."

"How did you know that?"

"I didn't – it was just an educated guess." Itachi shrugged as if it was normal for him to guess correctly at such things and Naruto stared at him wide eyed. Itachi tried to explain for the sake of the younger man's sanity.

"It's not that hard to come to that conclusion, Naruto. We told you earlier that Shoutarou has trouble accepting Sakura-san as his heir, because she's female and will thus have problems finding a husband. The same thing goes for Hiashi – he needs to find Hinata a man who can and will give up his last name for the Hyuga name, but who is also of good societal standing and has excellent skills as a shinobi, since the Hyugas are very intent on keeping their lineage pure and strong."

"You fulfil all but one of those conditions. You're an excellent fighter and you're not in line to become any clan's leader, so you can easily become a Hyuga if you want to. But most people in the village still look upon you as nothing more than the Kyubi vessel, which makes you socially unacceptable for a clan like the Hyugas. They'd be disgraced if they let Hinata marry you, or even date as it is now."

"But once you become the Rokudaime, no one can say you're not good enough for her – Hiashi has realized that and he found a way to ensure his clan's future _and_ make his daughter happy. It is actually a great compliment that he believes in you enough to ask you to wait instead of just outright chasing you away."

"And you guessed all that just by knowing that Hinata and I go out for ramen everyday?" Itachi nodded in reply and Naruto turned to Sasuke next to him, blinking in astonishment. "You Uchihas are all big-brained freaks!"

"Dobe…"

The two older men chuckled and shook their heads, but Kakashi soon stopped and addressed the boys anew.

"Itachi has a point though, Naruto. You really should ask Hinata to explain a few things about protocol to you – you will be the patriarch of the Hyuga clan after all, whose behaviour and poise is just as important as that of the actual leader."

"And the same goes for you, Sasuke. If you want to be acknowledged as leader of the Uchihas, you're gonna have to learn a lot about politics. You can't scare them into accepting you with one of your glares, they'll just shun you and your whole future clan will be avoided. I think it would be best to appeal to Shoutarou for a little last minute instructions."

"You're crazy! The old geezer hates me."

"Ah, but you underestimate the power of positive grovelling."

"Uchihas don't grovel." Sasuke growled at him and glared.

"How much do you wanna bet that I can make you eat those words?" Sasuke could almost feel the older man's shit eating grin radiating and looked to his brother, hoping he had an idea what sort of story they were in for now. But Itachi only shook his head, just as clueless. Carefully assessing his position, Sasuke decided to take the dare – he was far too curious not to.

"Bring it on, old man. If you win, I'll ask Sakura's grandfather to teach me. But if you don't, you will teach me your Lightning Blade."

"Deal." Kakashi's chuckle turned a little too sinister for Sasuke's liking and he wondered if he had maybe made a big mistake. "Let me just ask you something though. In your mother's belongings was there a small stuffed animal – a panda, sitting up and with a red bow around its neck, about yay high?" He gestured with his hands to a space of about two inches.

"Yeah," Itachi answered for them both, he remembered it well from his childhood – she had always made sure it was on her bedside table, a photo of her and Fugaku held between its little paws. "She told me Father gave it to her when they were young."

"But she probably didn't tell you that the first time he gave it to her she threw it at his feet and slapped him, right?"

"Uh…"

"The point is, _dear_ Sasuke, that your father had to do a lot of _grovelling_ to get her to even go on one date with him."

The Uchiha brothers exchanged glances of disbelieve – Mikoto had adored her husband and had never mentioned any such thing.

"How would you know anyway?" Sasuke asked the copy-nin petulantly, unwilling to lose the bet so easily.

"Mikoto-sama was good friends with sensei…"

"The Yondaime?" Naruto interrupted him, even more interested now at the mention of his idol, and Kakashi gave a soft smile.

"Yes, although that was before he became Hokage. Anyway, I don't know if you know this but your mother was a jounin instructor at the Academy before she got married." The Uchihas shook their heads in unison. "Rin build a close friendship with her when we were students and frequently went to her for all kinds of advice, especially things concerning …let's just call it 'girl stuff', alright?"

"Well, that together with sensei being her friend, our team spent a lot of time at the Academy when we weren't on missions. And I saw a lot of your father in that time, since he was waiting nearly everyday outside her classroom for the school day to end."

"He would stand there, with either flowers or chocolates in his hands, just to have her brush him off again and again. Once she threw a chair after him…"

"Why?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kakashi shrugged. "Back then I still believed girls had cooties, so I wasn't all that interested in their quarrels. Actually, I thought he was being ridiculous and that he should better use all that time for training, but …oh well, I guess love does strange things to us. Rin thought it was utterly _romantic_ and constantly swooned over the whole thing."

"Important is, Sasuke, that if your father could do it for the woman he loved, then you can do it for your dream of reviving your clan. So pay up!"

"How do I go about this? I can't just walk up to the old geezer and act as if nothing happened…"

"Ask Sakura to schedule a meeting with him – she knows how to handle him best. Watch what you're saying and be polite – and for fuck's sake keep your goddamn temper in check. If you blow up at him, he'll have you hanged _and_ beheaded. And believe me, he _has_ the influence to make exactly that happen…"

"Great," Sasuke grumbled, "I'm doomed."

"Not necessarily," Itachi tried to encourage him. "As long as you have Sakura-san with you while you're talking to him, you'll be fine. Just take your clues from her behaviour. And make a big show of apologizing and complimenting and all that stuff. He's big on appearances."

The younger Uchiha put his head in his hands, frustrated and hopeless – it would be a disaster, he just knew it. Kakashi patted his hair comforting, but he wasn't finished giving advice yet.

"Get some flowers for his wife and do not, under _any_ circumstances, be in any way a smart ass with her – she's easily angered and Shoutarou listens a great deal to her."

"So," Sasuke tried to follow, "she's bad?"

"To put it nicely, the woman is a bitch." Kakashi's voice was uncharacteristically harsh and Sasuke put his head back into his hands, now completely discouraged. "She's cranky and thinks far too much of herself. No one, absolutely no one is good enough for her family – and she's not even a born Haruno."

"Rin and I spent a lot of time together, especially after our sensei died, and that woman made it out as if I was stealing her little girl's virtue. The old witch accused me on a regular basis of… wait, how did she put it? Oh yes, of 'tainting her beloved angel'. It was ridiculous. And now she's probably in that big mansion of theirs screeching about the five of us and how we're corrupting her little blossom. I bet she still has no idea that Sakura lost…"

The copy-nin halted his tirade, realizing what he had almost divulged. He hoped they wouldn't ask about it and concentrate on the Haruno matriarch instead of Sakura.

"Lost what?"

_No such luck, damn Naruto and his natural affinity for making his life more complicated._

"Her …kimono." Kakashi tried to back pedal, but the damage was already done and he could only hope the confusion would make them blind to the obvious.

"Her kimono?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, sceptical – the copy-nin was obviously lying, but he couldn't quite guess as to what he was hiding.

"Yes, her kimono." The grey-haired man nodded several times. "It was a very …valuable one, you see, and pretty old."

"I don't get it!" Naruto turned to his best friend, but was greeted by the same look of confusion currently present on his own face.

While the two were quietly trying to make sense of it all, Itachi used their distraction to lean closer to the copy-nin and whisper unnoticed.

"Are you talking about what I _think_ you're talking about?"

"Uh huh."

"Then why are you making such a fuss about it?"

"Just shut up and smile…"

Kakashi decided it was safer for all of them to end this now, before the two brats caught on. He sent them out of the house, telling them to look if Sakura was back yet and to come up with a strategy for the meeting with the Haruno patriarch. He and Itachi would take care of the dishes.

Once they had left he took a deep breath and collapsed face first on the table.

"That was close…"

"It's your own fault. Why not just tell them – they'll find out sooner or later…"

"Do you honestly want me to tell Batman and Robin that their little innocent Sakura-chan lost her virginity to an as yet unknown male several years ago?" Kakashi snorted and shook his head. "They'd go on a killing spree through Konoha, exterminating every man capable of an erection, except for _maybe_ you, me and her little brother!"

"How do you even know? I can't really imagine her admitting something like that to you…"

"Oh, she didn't have to. When she was eighteen, she finally got Shoutarou to allow her to live in her own apartment for a while, let her be independent and care for herself to build her sense of responsibility – at least that were her arguments, in reality she just wanted to get out of that damn house if only for a few years. I helped her move and saw a few things I'd rather I hadn't."

"And you don't know who the guy was?"

"She wouldn't tell me…"

"Let me guess – you threatened him."

"Only a little…" Kakashi pouted and Itachi laughed. "In the end I just made her swear on her father's sword that it wasn't Rock Lee and tried to be satisfied with that. But I have a few suspicions, only there's no real proof."

"Rock Lee?"

"Guy's favourite pupil and honorary son. You're gonna meet him at the party, he's the one with the hearts in his eyes whenever Sakura is near him. Other defining characteristics are bowl-shaped hair, bushy eyebrows and lots of green spandex. He's Guy's mini-me in many ways."

"Might Guy the Moron still hasn't gotten himself killed then, huh."

"He's too fast…"

"So poison his Lucky Charms." Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow at Itachi's suggestion. "Don't try to tell me you've never thought of it. When we were ANBU and he came running to you every week with his loony challenges, I always expected you to shove a Chidori up his ass. God, that man was annoying."

"He's a good fighter and a loyal friend, but he does lack a certain …restraint," the copy-nin admitted.

"So, those suspicions you have…" Itachi steered them back on topic.

"You're awfully interested in this."

"I've known that girl since she was in diapers, spitting up on my training shirts – I'd like to know whom I'm gonna have to emasculate."

"Yeah well, get in line." The older man finally stood up and started collecting the dishes. "Anyway, all I know is that it happened when she was about sixteen and at that time she was hanging around Inuzuka Kiba a lot – so he's suspect number one."

"It's funny really," Itachi mused, "from the way they act, I thought she had some kind of relationship with my brother and was just waiting for him to come back."

"She was. When we first became a team she had a huge crush on our dear Sasuke, but he was too focused on his revenge and never returned those feelings. Even if he did deep down, I doubt he would have known what to do about it. And then he left and she waited. Sixteen is the age when Orochimaru planned to take over his body and when we didn't get him back in time, I guess she lost hope and sought comfort in someone who was actually here."

"But that would mean it had to be someone who knew he was just a substitute, doesn't it?" Itachi asked.

"That's about the only reason Kiba isn't dead yet – he's too gullible to realize that and she wouldn't lead him on in such a way." Kakashi explained and went back to his list.

"Another candidate would be Gaara, he was visiting her and Naruto far too often for my liking back then and he is very aware of where Sakura's affections lie. He's also someone in desperate need of human contact and kindness – so he could've been in it for the same reasons she was. But again, I don't have any proof."

"You suspect she slept with the Kazekage?"

"Oh, he's far from the only one on my list – come to think of it, it could have been his brother…"

Unnoticed by the two gossiping men, Sasuke leaned on the wall just outside the door, fuming. He'd sent Naruto over to Sakura's house alone, hoping to catch a few snippets of explanation after Kakashi's bad cover up. Now he wasn't so sure if that decision had been wise – he could've lived in blissful ignorance, had he moved but a few feet further down the hall.

Slowly he made his way to the patio, having heard enough. Anger was churning in his stomach and he felt the need to destroy something – preferably something that belonged to Sakura.

But he couldn't really blame her, could he? He was the one that left her with nothing and they hadn't promised each other anything. And if she had thought that he'd already been taken over by the snake…

He was sitting on the front steps of the main house, reading, when she finally came home around five in the afternoon. He could see her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but there was a spring in her step and a smile on her face, so her plan must've been successful. As she came closer he could hear she was singing under her breath.

"_You were content to let me shine, that's your way,  
you always walked a step behind. _

So I was the one with all the glory,  
while you were the one with all the strength.  
A beautiful face without a name -- for so long,  
a beautiful smile to hide the pain."

With a flourish she sat down next to him and hugged his arm.

"_Did you ever know that you're my hero?_" She sang quietly, her face close to his, and grinned. He observed her for a moment and noticed the pink in her cheeks. And that smell, was that…

"You're drunk!"

"Drunk? No. – Tipsy? A little." She admitted but didn't stop grinning. "We celebrated with Redwine. And you can be assured that we will not tear down your home at the party. I admitted she was right just like you told me to and we made up. And then we cried a lot and ate a ton of ice cream and watched our movie and all the other things I told you we would do. And then of course we opened the wine and now I'm tipsy and in a mood to sing."

"You're weird."

"And proud of it, Sasuke-kun, and proud of it." She was still grinning and her eyes shown with so much joy that it was hard to be angry with her about his earlier discoveries. So what if she'd been with another man, she was here with him now, wasn't she?

Did it really matter one way or another?

"_I can fly higher than an eagle, for you are the wind beneath my wings."_

'_No'_, he decided silently, '_it really didn't_…'

* * *

**A/N: First of, I am very, very, very sorry for the long wait. Let's just say real life got in the way and therefore I started writing on this chapter a little late. And then the whole thing kept adding on itself and I remembered this scene or this sentence that I wanted to include and in the end it was this huge behemoth you've just read. **

**And I still haven't included the promised confrontation with pop culture – I'm very sorry for that, too. But I had to stop the chapter here, so I could put the whole movie night completely into the next chapter and keep it as one entity with the party.**

**Also, I think I got a little too sappy with the Boromir metaphor – I hope you all don't hate me for it. But it was Sakura's way of telling Sasuke she always believed in him – she was already trying to do that in the training grounds after his outburst, but he wouldn't let her, and so she waited for an opportunity to come up and it did when they were talking about the book.**

**And for the record – nothing in Itachi's and Kakashi's stories about their pasts is actually canon, as we still don't know _anything_ about Sakura's family or really anything that happened before the Kyubi attack. In my story they knew each other when they were very young, but life just tore that connection apart and neither Sasuke nor Sakura really remembers any of it – they were only five after all and both had enough painful reasons not to remember.**

**Also, I don't know if Rin really is in any way related to Sakura, but I think it's not so far out there. They are both very good medics (Rin did transplant the eye when she was pretty young and I think you need a lot of skill for that), they have very similar characters and if you dye Rin's hair pink and give her some contacts, they even look a little alike. **

**Besides, the building of Team 7 in general is either the biggest coincidence ever known to man – or Kakashi had a big hand in getting those three as his students. **

**I mean, there is the last remaining Uchiha and he is being taught by the only other Sharingan wielder left who was also on the same team as/ the best friend of one of his deceased family members – now if that was in any way coincidental, I'll eat my boots (even if it wasn't Kakashi's idea, whoever it was sure wasn't just pulling names out of a hat).**

**Then there's the Kyubi boy, who was given/blessed/cursed with said Kyubi by the sensei of the man who is now teaching him and who is the only surviving member of Team Yondaime. And if you apply the theory that Naruto is the Yondaime's son, it could also be said that Kakashi is teaching/looking out for his sensei's son – probably the reason he told him about the Futon: Rasengan, the very technique the Yondaime wasn't able to finish before his untimely death. **

**So yeah, must've been one hell of a coincidence that Naruto was appointed as Kakashi's student (please note the heavy sarcasm).**

**And if you continue this theory, it is not so far off that Sakura is somehow connected to Kakashi's third team mate Rin. So far he is teaching the offspring/relatives of his old team – why shouldn't Sakura fall into that patter?**

**And I still believe Kakashi was the one who wanted to have them on his team…**

**Yuhi Noburu is not canon, I invented him and didn't want him to be completely unrelated to the current known ninja of Konoha, so he is a member of Kurenai's family here. You can fill in the rest of the story for yourself, it doesn't really matter if he is her father or her uncle or… He won't play into the story again and is only mentioned here to complete Itachi's explanation.**

**Inuzuka Hana is canon and about the only person as old as Itachi, that we know of. She'll be back next chapter.**

**The song Sakura sings at the end is "Wind beneath my wings" by Bette Midler. It's from the movie 'Beaches' that was mentioned earlier. It's one of those real tearjerkers, sappy friendship movies and one of Midler's best.**

**Thank you everyone for your reviews! Thank you VanetiaC, honouring death, abovetheroof, Demented Angie, Sirona of Arabia, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, HokiPoki1213, OblivionXAzrael, DarkAngelRakell, Beauty Blade Alchemist, moodiful819 and UnknownFellah!**

**DarkAngelRakell: I'm not sure what to tell you exactly. I mean, I already said there would be no ItaSaku in this story, so obviously there won't be any lemons either. And I'm planning on a SasuSaku one…**

**moodiful819: I sent you a message about the whole Gilmore Girls thing…**

**That's it for now, hope you like it and, as always, please review.**

**Bye**


End file.
